Punjabi University fails to feature in NIRF list

Tribune News Service

Patiala, September 10

Punjabi University has failed to feature on the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings list of top 100 universities in the country this year. However, the university is placed 18th amongst pharmacy institutions. The university had ranked 64th in the NIRF list last year.

This is while Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology is placed at 26th rank, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) at 53rd and Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, at 84th in the NIRF list. The NIRF is a methodology adopted by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to rank institutions of higher education in the country.

The framework was approved by the MHRD and launched by Minister of Human Resource Development on September 29. It ranks institutions on teaching, research and professional practice, learning and resources, graduation outcomes, placements outreach and inclusivity and peer perception.

Dr BS Sandhu, Dean (Academics), Punjabi University, said the Covid-19 period coupled with strikes by various student organisations and teaching and non-teaching employees on the campus affected the ranking.

“The offices and administrative departments of the university remained closed for long period. This has never happened before,” he added.

“The financial crises of the university have also had a bearing on the functioning of the departments. Moreover, the alleged financial wrongdoings also came to the fore in this period,” he said.

“The university is also facing shortage of senior teaching faculty due to retirement. At present, the university is unable to hire more faculty members,” he added.

Meanwhile in a press note the university stated that its Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research had been ranked 18th amongst pharmacy institutions of India in the NIRF list.

“The department has significantly improved its previous year ranking and is currently ranked third with only UIPS, Panjab University, Chandigarh, and the NIPER, Mohali at the first and second spot in Punjab, respectively,” the note added.