IIT Madras is on top again. For the second year in a row, the premier institute in Chennai managed to stay at the top of the MHRD's rankings — this time being adjudged the Best Engineering College in the couuntry. IIT M Director Bhaskar Ramamurthi says that the National Institutional Rankings Framework (NIRF) results didn't really come as a surprise as they were aware that their strategic plan was in line with the parameters on which the rankings are based. The last strategic plan which was revised in the year 2013 focused on areas like academic flexibility, entrepreneurship, industry engagement, internationalisation, research quality and alumni engagement. "We have implemented our strategic plan effectively and have improved on several parameters. So we knew that we would perform well in the rankings," says Ramamurthi.
The NIRF rankings, which were announced by Union Minister for Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar earlier today are based on several key parameters including teaching, learning and resources; outreach and inclusivity, research and professional practice, graduation outcomes and perception, most of which were implemented well by IIT M. The institute was ranked number one last year as well and has also placed second in the overall common ranking category this year.
Bhaskar Ramamurthi, IIT M Director
Speaking about their upcoming endeavours, Ramamurthi said, "We will continue to work on our current plan, focussing more on improving the quality of research, getting more foreign faculty, better inclusivity among students and more industry-funded research."
When asked how the rankings would help the institute, he said that it would 'certainly help improve the perception about the institute', thereby encouraging deserving candidates to apply with confidence.