'Research funding in this country is absolutely inadequate'

Pramath Raj Sinha is chairman, board of governors, Ashoka University and founding dean of ISB Hyderabad. He is also on the boards several education institutions and helped to set up over a dozen institutions of higher education in India and abroad. He is also a founder of 9.9 group and Harappa Education. He spoke to Careers360 about Ashoka, liberal arts education, online education, and more.

THESE ARE INDIA'S BEST YOUNG UNIVERSITIES

Careers360 ranks the 100 best public and private universities established since 2008. Another 350 have been rated.

Five Changes For Engineering Colleges

The AICTE has relaxed norms for new engineering colleges, courses, seat increase. It has also scrapped mandatory physical visits.

BREAKING THE CYCLE

An IIT Kanpur Students Gymkhana initiative, Prayas, is helping children from poor, marginalised communities around the campus do well in school and join higher education.

PUBLIC loES HAVE RECEIVED LESS THAN HALF THE PROMISED FUNDS

The union government had committed Rs. 1,000 crore for every public Institution of Eminence. Since 2018, it has sanctioned only around Rs 3,400 crore for all eight taken together.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE A STRONG DESIGN PORTFOLIO

Academics, students on what makes a winning portfolio and how to build one. If you're serious about studying design, start at school.

MATHS TOUGH, CHEMISTRY EASY

How has the JEE Advanced, arguably the toughest engineering entrance test in the country, changed over the past decade?

SOLD THE IIT DREAM

In 2022, Karnataka CM announced that some of the state's engineering colleges would be upgraded into institutions \"on par with\" the IITs. One year on, that project has seen little progress.

'INDUSTRY NEEDS PROFESSIONALS WITH CONCEPTUALLY-STRONG, INNOVATIVE MINDSET'

Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Bangalore has recently developed an open-source Aadharlike digital identity for 10 countries, is setting up a system that makes access to mental-health support easy and working on the implementation of 6G in India. Debabrata Das, director, IIIT Bangalore, discussed innovation, collaborations and courses developed. Edited excerpts.

SETTING LIT NAGPUR FREE

The 81-year-old, Laxminarayan Institute of Technology Nagpur, is all set to become a university. With the change will come 14 new courses, 8 new departments, reforms in curriculum and pedagogy.

'OUR DEGREE WILL BE OF NO USE'

Maharashtra's agriculture engineering students protested for 50 days against a change in the syllabus of a government exam that drastically reduced their chances of landing agriculture officer posts.

MINOR DEGREE MAJOR IMPACT

Minor degrees are expected to reduce the number of engineering seats going vacant and equip B.Tech graduates with industry-relevant skills.

A NEW BRANCH OF EE

The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) recently introduced a model curriculum for B.Tech in a new branch of electrical engineering Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) design and technology - as well as a diploma in Integrated Circuits (IC) manufacturing.

WHAT'S IN A CFTI-TAG? FOR PEC CHANDIGARH, SURVIVAL

In Punjab Engineering College's 60-year effort to be designated a \"central institution\", a tale of neglect and apathy. Once a top-notch technical institution, it is now short of teachers, hostels, labs.

'I WANT TO REDUCE SO THAT STUDENTS THE COST CAN MAKE CAREER CHOICES FREELY'

The Birla Institutes of Technology and Science (BITS) will see changes in the curriculum, set up a diversified financial model, and launch dual degrees in collaboration with foreign universities. Former director of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, V Ramgopal Rao, recently became the group vice-chancellor of BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, Goa, Mumbai and Dubai.

WHY ARE B.TECH SEATS GOING VACANT AT AKTU?

The state university has reduced seats and changed its entrance test to improve standards. Despite vacant seats, UP government is setting up 6 more colleges.

THE B.TECH IN NUMBERS

Seats, placements, enrolment - what the AICTE data says about undergraduate engineering programmes in India.

39 ENGINEERING COLLEGES GET TOP RATING

1,200 engineering, 40 design colleges rated; and 50 architecture colleges ranked in Careers360's 2023 evaluation of top Indian institutions in these domains

India's Best Universities 2023

100 public and 35 private universities ranked overall; 665 universities ranked across 11 academic domains.

'THE UNIVERSITY IS A PLACE FOR UNIVERSAL THINKING'

In June 2022, University of Lucknow became the first state university in Uttar Pradesh to secure an A++ grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). LU will introduce a Faculty of Agriculture this year and has constituted a committee to guide the introduction of dual-degree and one-year postgraduate programmes, both recommendations of the National Education Policy 2020. Alok Kumar Rai joined LU as vice-chancellor in December 2019 and was re-appointed in December 2022. Edited excerpts from his conversation with Careers360 below.

A BUSINESS OF HER OWN

IIM Bangalore's business incubator, NSRCEL, has been supporting women entrepreneurs. Meet some of the business owners and their ventures.

'A WAY TO LIVE WITH EACH OTHER'

Graduation ceremonies, picnics, dealing with local authorities - how foreign students' associations and collectives help overseas students settle in.

CREATING A SAFE SPACE

A handful of Indian educational institutions, including IIT Delhi and NALSAR Hyderabad, have introduced gender-neutral toilets and spaces.

'LONG WAY TO GO'

Disabled students are bullied and harassed on campuses and get little support. The number of disabled persons in higher education has dropped 14% from 2019-20 to 2020-21.

EMPTY SEATS BUT GREATER DIVERSITY

How has switching to a national exam for admissions impacted central universities across the country?

'WE'RE LIVING ON PAST SAVINGS'

Public universities are left finding ways to be thrifty and generate income as their funding needs far outstrip government budgets.

MANY HOPES PINNED ON VD COLLEGE

Once VD College is upgraded, it will become the first state-run, affiliating university in South Bihar. The region, one of the most backward in the country, needs it.

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR COLLEGE YEARS

The years of undergraduate studies can be utilised to set a solid foundation for a successful career even for those in non-professional courses. Here's how.

GEARING UP FOR CHANGE

How much progress have central universities made in implementing NEP reforms such as multiple exits, ABC registration, four-year UG programmes and dual degrees? Recently, UGC took stock.

HOW OSMANIA UNIVERSITY IS RAISING FUNDS

The state university in Hyderabad, Telangana, is struggling to pay salaries and pensions even with two-thirds of its posts vacant.