By Nistula Hebbar
Copyright thehindu
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the National Institutional Ranking Framework’s (NIRF) ranking system had to be objective, transparent, and open. Addressing The Hindu Mind on Monday (September 22, 2025), he said the Union government was giving NIRF and the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) institutions utmost autonomy. “But they have to function transparently. Democracy thrives in an accountable society. No institution is sacrosanct. They are autonomous, but they have to improve in their governance,” he said.
Asked about his recent criticism of certain parameters of the NIRF, such as the perception criteria, Mr. Pradhan said the government was the custodian of students and society. “I have to put forth the societal expectation in front of these independent and autonomous bodies. They have to reform themselves, and they are reforming. The government is not controlling everything. Gone are those days,” he said. “These [institutions] all are doing good things. NAAC has developed good methods, so also the NIRF. Before 2014, there was no Indian ranking system. It was Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi who envisioned a national ranking system. From 2016 onwards, the NIRF mechanism has come up. It is maturing, it is developing now,” Mr. Pradhan said, adding that making a viewpoint was not expressing dissatisfaction. “It is an indication for improvement. It is a governance issue. They have to improve in their governance,” the Minister said.
On British company Quacquarelli Symonds’ (QS)’s global education institutions ranking, Mr. Pradhan said there was a quantum jump for Indian institutions. Commenting on the controversies over visa restrictions on Indians in the United States, he said India was not dependent upon any foreign institution. “We have to cope with the changing geopolitical situations,” he said.
Odisha situation
The senior leader, when asked about the BJP’s capabilities to fill the space of BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik, said he was confident that the BJP would be a force in Odisha as the party was developed from scratch to a ruling party with 40% vote. “The BJP will be a force to reckon with for a longer period in Odisha. The party will be a formidable force,” he said.
To a question whether he was a frontrunner for the BJP president and on the reasons for the delay in appointing BJP chief, Mr. Pradhan said the BJP was a cadre-based party and it was up to the leadership to decide the president. “J.P. Nadda is a very successful president. With his leadership, we won the 2024 general elections. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the ultimate leader. So there is no issue of ‘where is the leadership’. My party is a democratic party. It is not a party of few families. There is a process. There is a timing. There are many issues in front of the country and leadership will take appropriate decision at an appropriate time,” he added.
