RONO HILLS, Apr 9: Rajiv Gandhi University (RGU) here has been ranked among the top 100 universities in India by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) of the union ministry of human resource development (MHRD).
RGU climbed 25 spots to reach the 99th place among the 907 universities in the country, according to an RGU release. The university was ranked at 124th place last year.
The rankings were announced by President Ramnath Kovind at New Delhi on Monday.
“It is indeed a great achievement of the university,” said RGU Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Saket Kushwaha while chairing a meeting to discuss the ramifications of the ranking.
He expressed sincere appreciation for the RGU team and the stewardship of Chief Rector and Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, BD Mishra, and former RGU VC Prof Tamo Mibang for the achievement.
He also lauded the efforts of the team of the university’s Internal Quality Assurance Cell Director Prof Amitava Mitra, Prof Utpal Bhattacharjee (CSE), Chemistry HoD Rajesh Chakrabarty, Computer Science & Engineering HoD Ani Taggu, and Assistant Professor Firos A, also of the CSE, for their contributions in facilitating the evaluation process with the NIRF.
“We at RGU try our best to relentlessly follow the mandate of the university. As the only central university in the state, our role goes beyond just providing access to higher education and pushes us to contribute in the best manner to the socio-cultural development of the Arunachal society. Continuing to excel in the NIRF rankings is not an option for us at the university. I believe that it is a must,” Prof Kushwaha said.
The VC extended his gratitude to the state government as well as the civil society for supporting RGU all through its evolution, and said the university would continue to strive to excel “and work with a collective vision to take it to the top five of the NIRF rankings.”
RGU Registrar Prof Tomo Riba said the university has constantly been focused on the core value of expansion “in its outreach and in-reach initiatives, its enrollment, and its fair and diverse recruitment, as also ensuring better access to the best in higher education.
“Our efforts have now resulted in this, and we are really much encouraged by this recognition,” he said.
Applauding the achievement of the university, the RGU Students’ Union (RGUSU) and the RGU Scholars’ Forum congratulated the students, research scholars, faculty members and the administration on the accomplishment.
Terming it a matter of great pride not only for the university but also for the state, the RGUSU expressed hope that the benchmark performance would continue in the years to come, and assured the students’ contributions in the best manner possible.
Seven universities from the Northeast region featured on the list of the top 100 universities, including the NEHU (Meghalaya) and Tezpur University (Assam).
Tamil Nadu topped the list with 20 universities, followed by Maharashtra with 11, and Karnataka with 10.
The NIRF was launched by the MHRD in September 2015, and continues to be published since 2016.
Its framework outlines a well-defined methodology to rank institutions across the country. It has identified broad parameters for ranking various universities and institutions, mainly in teaching, learning and resources, research and professional practices, graduation outcomes, outreach and inclusiveness, perception, the release added.
