University unable to register its credentials for ranking system

An ‘unknown’ Jessy Jose seems to have nailed Mahatma Gandhi University’s (MGU) chance to register its credentials under the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development’s (HRD) National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

The development has exposed serious flaws in the online registration system forcing the university authorities to seek the immediate intervention of HRD Minister Smriti Irani. The deadline for submission of data ended on Friday midnight. A few steps after logging in to the NIRF website, a message keeps popping up that the “nodal officer for this institution has been already registered.”

In his letter to Ms. Irani, Vice Chancellor Babu Sebastian said that the university had not registered earlier.

The university authorities remain clueless as efforts to resolve the deadlock after contacting the help desks of NIRF in New Delhi and Ahmedabad had failed.

University officials close to the development told The Hindu that the registration was made in the name of one Jessy Jose.

“The help desk shared the mobile number of the person, who is suspected to have made the registration. We are getting a reply in Marathi that the mobile is switched off,” they said.

The university has urged the MHRD not to proceed with the ranking process without addressing its grievance. Senior officials pointed out that many eligible institutions would lose a chance to get ranked owing to the technical glitches.

The MHRD is expected to release the rankings by April for all Centrally funded institutions, universities, IITs and IIMs. The parameters broadly cover “Teaching, Learning and Resources,” “Research and Professional Practices,” “Graduation Outcomes,” “Outreach and Inclusivity,” and “Perception”. Ranking methods have been worked out for six categories of institutions including Engineering, Management, Pharmacy, Architecture, Universities and Colleges.