QS- publisher of highly popular QS World University Rankings- enters India, with its first and exclusive India-specific Higher Education Rating System, QS I-GAUGE..
QS or Quacquarelli Symonds, the UK-based university information services company and publisher of very popular QS World University Rankings annually, on March 21 entered into Indian market with the launch of India specific HEI rating system christened as QS I-GAUGE..
Former President Pranab Mukherjee along with Chairman, National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Dr. Virander S. Chauhan attended and spoke on the launch event. Ben Sowter, Director, QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd, UK, who was present at this launch event in New Delhi, introduced the concept of this rating system, which has been already piloted with some select institutions, and is reading to roll out from this year.
QS I- GAUGE comprises seven primary indicators (Teaching and Learning (TL), Faculty Quality (FQ), Employability (EP), Student Diversity (SD), Facilities (FC), Social Responsibility (SR), Accreditation (AR) and five secondary indicators- Arts Culture (Ac), Faculty Diversity (FD), Entrepreneurship (ET), Research (R), Innovation (IV). The categories range from diamond, gold, silver to under transition weighed on a scale of 2000 points on teh above mentioned parameters.
Ashwin Fernandes, CEO, QS – Era India Pvt Ltd said, “QS I∙GAUGE is a system, which is designed in India, considering the international parameters and still localising the system to capture the diverse Indian higher education system. I am confident that this will give a much-needed hike to Indian colleges and universities, on an international footing”.
Dr Virander S. Chauhan in his remarks said that Indian higher education ecosystem is still immature and evolving and nor fully prepared to something like this. However, this will force our institutions to look inwards, learn about collecting data and move towards more quality. “We have increased 40 times since 1950s from 21 universities to 860 universities and some 40,000 colleges. Our system is hugely heterogonous with a sizeable number of mono discipline universities. It is remarkable also in sense that women comprise 50% of students’ enrolee in our higher education system. While more rating agencies are welcome and as per government policy, Indian higher education is very much in layers of complications, so let’s do things together and not rush at them,” he added.
In his key note address, the former President, who while in highest office, all along in his speeches at educational congregations, emphasized on quality and research in Indian universities, yet again turned to same theme and lamented why our higher education system has not produced a Nobel winner after Dr C V Raman. “I am parroting about our lack of quality and corporate support to research in our universities. For 1800 years until 12century AD, India was a magnet for scholars, researchers and higher education for the world with several universities but why not now. We need to equip our higher education system to meet the challenges of quality,” he added.
Hon’ble Pranab Mukherjee and NAAC Chairman, Dr Virander S. Chauhan also gave away QS I-GAUGE Diamond Certificates to Banasthali Vidyapith University, Vellore Institute of Technology, O.P. Jindal Global University; Gold certificates to Gurunanak Institute of Technology, Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, M S Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Manav Rachna University and Silver certificates to MIT College of Engineering, Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education & Research. All had participated in QS I-GAUGE pilot rating.
