The human resource development (HRD) ministry has granted Institutions of Eminence (IoE) tag to five institutes - Delhi University, Banaras Hindu University, University of Hyderabad, IIT-Madras and IIT-Kharagpur. The decision was taken following a recommendation made by the University Grants Commission (UGC) last month on the advice of an empowered expert committee.

Institutions of Eminence

The Institutions of Eminence scheme was launched in order to implement the government’s commitment to empower higher educational institutions and help them become world-class teaching and research institutes.

Twenty institutions - 10 public and 10 private - are to be identified to be transformed into world-class teaching and research institutes. This will enhance affordable access to high-quality education for ordinary Indians.

Objectives of the scheme

* To provide for higher education leading to excellence and innovation in such branches of knowledge as may be deemed fit at post-graduate, graduate and research degree levels and award degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions.

* To engage in areas of specialisation to make distinctive contributions to the objectives of the university education system wherein the academic engagement is clearly distinguishable from programmes of an ordinary nature and is tuned to developing the capacity of students and researchers to compete in the global tertiary education marketplace through the acquisition and creation of advanced knowledge.

* To provide for high-quality teaching and research and for the advancement of knowledge and its dissemination through various research programmes undertaken in house by a number of full-time faculty and research scholars in diverse disciplines.

* To pay special attention to teaching and research in unique and emerging areas of knowledge, including interdisciplinary areas, which are regarded as important for strategic needs of the country but are not being pursued by conventional or existing institutions so far, and award degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions.

* To aim to be rated internationally for its teaching and research as a top 100 institution.

Expectations from IoEs

Notable features present in existing international institutions of global repute, which figure at the top in all reputed ranking frameworks, include the following…

* Highly qualified faculty, with freedom to hire from across the world.

* Existence of academic, administrative and financial autonomy.

* Excellence in research.

* High quality of teaching.

* High levels of funding.

* Adequate financial assistance to meritorious students to support a need-blind admissions process.

* Selection of students through a transparent system so as to ensure intake of meritorious students.

* A significant proportion of international students.

* Autonomous governance structures.

* Well-equipped facilities for teaching, research, administration and student life.

* Tangible and intangible contribution to society.

* Ability to leverage alumni and alternative funding sources, and the autonomy to utilise these resources.

Focus areas

* It should preferably be multi-disciplinary or interdisciplinary and have both teaching and research focus of an exceptionally high quality.

* It should offer interdisciplinary courses, including in areas of emerging technology and interest as well as those of relevance to the development concerns of countries like India and also award degrees, diplomas and other academic distinctions in such interdisciplinary areas.

* It should have a good proportion of foreign or foreign qualified faculty.

* There should be a reasonably good mix of Indian and foreign students.

* There should be a transparent merit-based selection in admissions, so that the focus remains on getting meritorious students.

* The admission process should be need-blind so that once a student gets admission purely on merit, such a meritorious student should not be turned away for lack of financial ability.

* The faculty-student ratio should be not be less than 1:20 at the time of notification issued declaring an institute as an IoE and should increase over time so as not to be less than 1:10 after five years of this date. The faculty for this purpose includes the regular faculty, adjunct faculty and long-term faculty (for at least three years). Part-time faculty shall not be counted for the purpose.

* There should be laboratory facilities to undertake cutting-edge scientific research. In case of humanities, social sciences and other interdisciplinary areas, the faculty should be engaged in research and field work in frontier areas using the latest methodologies.

* The IoE should strive to achieve social impact by engaging in applied research and innovation in issues of concern to developing societies.

* The IoE should develop teaching and research collaborations with a reasonable number of universities figuring in the most reputed global rankings.

* The IoE should be known for promoting a culture where faculty are encouraged to publish regularly in peer-reviewed journals and engage academically with the issues of concern to society. It should have a record of research publications at the mean rate of at least one per faculty member each year in reputed peer-reviewed international journals based on publication made by top 100 global universities in these journals.

* For this purpose, the IoE should have a world-class library with subscriptions to reputed journals in the areas of courses it is offering. It should have student amenities comparable with that of globally reputed institutions.