India's best government universities (general) | School of thought

No.1: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New DelhiWhen Geetanjali Shree won the 2022 International Booker Prize in May—the first Hindi author to do so—it was a matter of pride for everyone at her alma mater Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Indeed, in the past year, the university has been particularly focused on strengthening its Indian languages courses, and the global attention following Shree’s win has visibly boosted interest in the field. “We are very proud of our facilities for language studies. Last year, we inaugurated our School of Indian Languages. We decided to give a separate building, faculty and seats for Indian languages,” says JNU V-C Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit. In the few months since the new school was commissioned, chairs have been found for four of the courses in Tamil, Kannada, Odiya and Urdu. Courses in Assamese and Gujarati will also soon be ready. India's Best Universities 2022 | COMPLETE RESULTS OF THE SURVEYIt’s an exciting time to be at JNU, says the faculty. Not only are new courses and departments being set up, but the 53-year-old campus is also set to have a modern makeover. “JNU is constantly evolving while staying committed to its ethos of equal opportunity,” says Pandit. The university has received a Rs 60 crore grant from the central government, and with half the money already in, the administration is busy making big changes to the existing infrastructure. The hostels are set to be upgraded with contemporary kitchens and rooms for students. Security will also be improved throughout the 1,000-acre campus. Additionally, three new buildings will soon be inaugurated for three new departments—engineering, management and national security studies. “The library building is also being painted for the first time since it was set up. We didn’t have the funds till recently to complete the painting,” says Pandit.GURUSPEAK - SANTISHREE DHULIPUDI PANDIT, V-C, JNU Keeping the campus safe and enjoyable for all is a vital part of the plans as students and faculty say it is the foundation for what makes JNU the university it is. “We are trying to upgrade facilities while maintaining the natural beauty and heritage,” says Pandit. Indeed, for the 7,000-plus students who reside in the 17 hostels on campus, the premises are dotted with iconic spots for meeting friends, relaxing or exchanging ideas. Places such as Parthasarathy Rocks (a small hillock located deep within a campus forest), Ganga dhaba (which has played host to students for over three decades and still opens at the crack of dawn) and the JNU library (one of the largest national libraries in the country) still remain exciting places for intellectual and friendly discussions. These extra-curricular moments are as important to life here as the academics, says Pandit. “JNU is a space for innovation, sharing opinions and learning as much outside the classroom as inside it,” she says.ALUMNI SPEAK - KANTI P. BAJPAI, VICE-DEAN, RESEARCH, LEE KUAN YEW SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY AND FORMER HEAD, DOON SCHOOL Looking ahead, the university is exploring revenue generation opportunities to add more facilities and training for students and staff. The university has requested the government for permission to have a quota for international students as well as to establish offshore campuses in 15 African countries, as well as Mongolia and Kazakhstan. “Being a central university, we require approval for these steps. If it happens, then it won’t just bring in extra revenue but also be a way to enrich learning at JNU,” says Pandit. The university has also signed three new student and faculty exchange MoUs with Korea, Taiwan and Japan. JNU already has several such international exchange agreements but plans to build on it further. Through upgraded facilities, a wider global footprint, more student opportunities and new courses, the university is set to be a powerhouse of ideas, interactions and innovation..preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}by Sonali Acharjee No. 2: University of Delhi Students at the DU-affiliated SRCC; Photo by Chandradeep Kumar Celebrating its centenary anniversary this year, the University of Delhi has progressed from three colleges and 750 books in the library when it was started in 1922 to 90 colleges, 86 teaching departments, and about 650,000 students now. With students now coming to study here from all over the country, it won’t be wrong to say that Delhi University represents a microcosm of India. Talking of hundreds of its illustrious alumni, Prof. Yogesh Singh, vice-chancellor, says, “The University of Delhi has had a critical impact in influencing the policies of independent India.”GURUSPEAK - PROF. YOGESH SINGH, V-C, UNIVERSITY OF DELHI The university has also achieved gender diversity with more than 50 per cent women students enrolled in the different courses and programmes. The focus, though, has always been on the holistic development of the students who come to study at the many colleges under the university, offering them opportunities to engage with local, national and global communities.The Delhi University is also vigorously working towards implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The batch admitted this academic year (2022-23) will follow its guidelines. Admissions to all undergraduate courses this year will be on the basis of the government’s CUET (Common University Entrance Test), to be conducted by the NTA (National Testing Agency). Says Prof. Singh, “Till last year, we were admitting students on the basis of their performance in Class 12. But from this year, it’s going to be based on CUET.”The pandemic year (2020-21)was a challenge for the university, but it took it in its stride, pulling through enough innovations to ensure that the learning-teaching process continued seamlessly. The university took several digital initiatives such as providing reading material to students through online platforms and conducting online internal assessments and examinations for the first time. About 290,000 students wrote their first OBE (open book examination) in August 2020 and 170,000 students in December 2020. The university has also been focusing on research, so much so that its H-index (a measure of scholarly output and performance) went up from 197 to 218 in June 2020, one of the best scores among universities in the country. A patent fund has also been set up for the university’s teachers; about 250 patents have been filed so far with some 21 patents granted between 2017 and 2021.by Shelly AnandNo. 3: University of Hyderabad, Telangana Seldom does the setting up of a university hinge on the outcome of a separate statehood agitation. But establishing the 48-year-old University of Hyderabad (UoH) was part of the six-point formula to end the agitation. It has since evolved and was given Institu- tion of Eminence status in 2019 with additional grants of Rs 1,000 crore a year for five years.While the ready recall for UoH may be due to the suicide saga of Dalit student Rohit Vemula a few years ago, its launch of high end experimental research programmes has helped UoH spawn specialised centres in Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Cognitive Sciences, High Energy Materials, Modelling Simulation and Design, Health Psychology, Nanotechnology, Electronics and Tomato Genomics on campus. The university now offers 137 courses—79 post-graduate, 42 PhD and 16 integrated programmes.GURUSPEAK - PROF. B.J. RAO, V-C, UNIVERSITY OF HYDERABAD “We have nurtured a congenial academic ethos and more than 85 per cent of our students stay on campus in the 23 hostels,” says UoH vice chancellor Prof. B.J. Rao. “We also have an impressive male-female ratio of 55:45.” Over the years, it has introduced a slew of best practices, including gender equity programmes, green and eco-friendly campus, an empowered cell for differently-abled students, activities to increase consciousness about identities, symbols and festivals, paperless office etc. Through its Study in India programme and with the help of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations and other related international exposure, UoH has seen a steady increase in the admission of international students. This year, there are 150 students—from more than 20 countries—among its 5,000 students from across the country.UoH is also widely known for its alumni, many of whom occupy key positions in administration and governance. This includes people as diverse as V. Bharathi Harishankar, V-C of Avinashilingam University for Women, Coimbatore; and Syed Akbaruddin, formerly India’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations, and now, Dean, Kautilya School of Public Policy, Hyderabad.ALUMNI SPEAK - MANOJ ABRAHAM, DIRECTOR, VIGILANCE & ANTI-CORRUPTION BUREAU, KERALA Going forward, the V-C points out that the focus will be on research in health and disease, establishing an integrative research conclave for advanced functional materials and studying the interface of development, democracy and social transformation. “We are making special provisions for integrated courses in humanities and sciences and taking appropriate measures to promote inter-disciplinary studies,” says Rao, who hopes UoH will find a place in the top 500 institu- tions worldwide before too long.by Amarnath K. Menon Published By: Vishakha SharmaPublished On: Aug 5, 2022--- ENDS ---

Download App

Subscribe to India Today Print + Digital. Your First Month Is On Us. ₹299/month thereafter. Cancel anytime.

India's best government universities (general) | School of thought

With fresh funds from the centre, a new school of Indian languages, new courses, even proposals for offshore campuses, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) tops the list of best government universities in the general category. Here's the full list of rankings for the general category

No.1: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi

PUBLICATIONS

TELEVISION

EVENTS

RADIO

GAMING

USEFUL LINKS

PRINTING

WELFARE

DISTRIBUTION

SYNDICATIONS

WEBSITES

EDUCATION