Siksha 'O' Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed-to-be University in Bhubaneswar is leading the pack in Odisha when it comes to the NIRF (National Institute Ranking Framework) rankings announced online on June 11 by the Union Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal. They ranked 20th in this year's university category, advancing four spots from where they were last year. They have been placed 38th among overall institutions in the country. "It is a matter of satisfaction for all involved in the nine institutions functioning under it. But our objective is to ensure that SOA continues its upward journey and is counted as one of the best in the country," says Prof (Dr) Manojranjan Nayak, Founder President, SOA. He went on to add, "I believe the passion to excel, pursue quality academics and the focus on research has placed SOA on an altogether different footing. Research activities can provide the university an edge."
Speaking about the need for access to higher education, Professor Nayak said, “The opportunity for availing quality higher education is a must for the young generation to help them not only to open the door for excellent careers but also serve the society as responsible citizens. The education industry, if you prefer the term, is perhaps the best industry to work in as you are made responsible to shape the future of the nation." And when we asked him about what challenges he foresees, he shared that, "As the founder of SOA, I feel, my biggest challenge is to make the students go through a process which will make them responsible, enlightened and productive citizens of the country.
The Vice-Chancellor Dr Ashok Kumar Mohapatra also reiterated the point about striving for success, stating, "We feel great, but this should not make us complacent. We might be at 20 today, but we should strive for 17 or 15 and steadily climb up the ladder. We are a multi-disciplinary institute and if everyone even puts in five per cent more, I am sure we can get there." He also emphasised on consistently publishing papers so that their quality can be maintained and teachers too can benefit from it. "We also want to focus on arts and cultural aspects. Odisha has so many unique arts and crafts so, along with conventional education, a university must also look into the indigenous socio-cultural aspects of the state they are based out of," he says.
In the category for medical colleges, SOA was placed 23rd. Their faculty of dental sciences entered the ranking process for the first time this year and has been nationally ranked 12th. In the future, they might start a Meteorology course because the Eastern belt is more prone to disasters than any other area in India and they wish to focus on integrated medicine, Naturopathy and so on too. "There are other institutes in Odisha who are already offering the course but what is the need of the hour is an integration of all medical sciences for the betterment of human health," he shares and concludes.
