S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Madras obtained No 1 in ‘Overall’ category for the sixth consecutive year in NIRF 2024 rankings.
The rankings for 2024 were announced recently by Union Minister For Education Dharmendra Pradhan on 12 August 2024.
The results were announced in the presence of Dr. Sukanta Majumdar, Union Minister of State for Education and Development of North Eastern Region and other stakeholders and gave away the prizes.
Record
Establishing a record that has not been witnessed in Indian Education History, IIT Madras retained its No. 1 ranking in the ‘Overall’ category for the Sixth Consecutive Year and in ‘Engineering’ Category for the Ninth Consecutive Year, right from the first edition of the Rankings in 2016.
Research
In the ‘Research Institutions’ category, IIT Madras retained the last year’s position of Rank #2. IIT Madras also retained the #2 rank in ‘Innovations’ category (previously known as Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements), same as the preceding year.
All Institutions
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan congratulated all the institutions that took part in NIRF 2024 ranking.
‘I congratulate all the institutions that have participated in this year’s NIRF Ranking.’
It is encouraging to see the enthusiasm among our higher education institutions, and I hope that all 58,000 HEIs will take part in the coming rankings, he said.
Out of 58, 000 HEIs, 10,845 applications were received in different categories and 6,507 Institutes participated in the ranking, he said.
Union Minister further said As we move forward, we recognize the need for more transparency and a progressive approach in evaluating institutions.
The feedback from various institutes highlights that not all should be judged by the same factors, and the government is actively working on updating the accreditation policy and will be brought soon in the public domain, said Union Minister.
‘Degree is important, competency is even more important. Employability skills is a priority area for us.’
Award
The awards were received by Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, in person, who was accompanied by Prof. R. Sarathi, Dean (Planning), Prof. K. Murali, Dean (Faculty), and Dr. Jane Prasad, Registrar, IIT Madras.
Director of IIT Madras
Director of IIT Madras Prof V Kamakoti congratulated all the stakeholders, from students to faculty, alumni and non-teaching staff for their hard work that has resulted in such extraordinary performance.
This ninth consecutive NIRF top ranking is more than just an accolade; it’s a validation of our dedication to producing world-class talent and driving impactful research that addresses national and global challenges.
We are humbled by this recognition and remain committed to serving the nation through education and innovation, he said.
Workshop
Mr. Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India, said that the Ministry has been organizing workshops across India to motivate institutions to take part in Rankings.
Prof. Rajnish Kumar from IIT Madras made a presentation in such a workshop last week, which focused on two important things – the type of collaborations among Indian institutions and with international organizations and ability to sustain continuous research projects with that group of academicians and institutions abroad.
Foreign Campus
IIT Madras has the unique distinction of being the first IIT to establish a full-fledged foreign campus.
The IITM Zanzibar has been growing by leaps and bounds, attracting students from all over Africa, India, Middle East and other countries as well.
Sports Excellence Admission
IIT Madras also become the First IIT to offer ‘Sports Excellence Admission,’ recognizing the need for all-round development of students and to encourage sportspersons.
IIT Madras was also recognized as an ‘Institution of Eminence’ (IoE) in September 2019 by the Government of India.
Incubation
IIT Madras incubated start-up Mindgrove successfully design, manufactured and booted-up India’s first commercial high-performance RISC-V based System on Chip (SoC) named ‘Secure IoT’.
The Institute was granted 435 patents in Financial Year 2023-24 (FY24), more than double the preceding year and also filed for 378 Patents in FY24, exceeding its target of one patent a day.
Alumni
The Institute also raised Rs. 513 crore during 2023-24, from alumni, corporates, and the industry, which was the higher-ever in its history.
This funding is utilized not only to ramp up institute infrastructure and get state-of-the-art facilities but also to provide scholarships for students from disadvantaged sections and convert lab research into real-world products and applications.
Methodology
Started in 2015, NIRF outlines a methodology to rank educational institutions across the country.
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The parameters used for ranking broadly cover “Teaching, Learning and Resources,” “Research and Professional Practices,” “Graduation Outcome,” “Outreach and Inclusivity,” and “Perception.”