There is nothing to cheer about in the educational – higher education in particular – field. The latest rankings from the Union Ministry of Education are a telling comment on the quality of education that is available in the State. In the latest National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Goan institutes lag far behind their competitors. It is a telling comment on the quality of education that Goa provides that not a single institute of higher education in the State made it to the top hundred institutes in the country in the ‘overall’ category ranking. There were institutes in the first 100 within their specialisation, but most had slipped in the rankings from the previous year. NIRF rankings for colleges and universities are based on teaching, learning, and resources; research and professional practice, graduation outcome; outreach and inclusivity; and peer perception.
Goa University (GU) slipped 15 spots to the 96th spot from the 81st that it had ranked last year. In 2018 Goa University had been ranked 68th. It is quite a drop that the university has had. The most interesting aspect is going to be how Goa University responds to the rankings. In the past it has fallen back on vague excuses, but there is a new vice-chancellor at the helm, and he now has a new challenge before him, to take the university he heads to a higher ranking during this term in office and to keep it there. It shouldn’t drop again. The university requires to shake itself awake and get cracking to uplift itself and its rankings.
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Other than Goa University, institutes that made it to the top 100 from Goa can be counted on the fingers of one hand and still have some left over. National Institute of Technology (NIT) Goa secured the 85th rank among engineering institutes, Goa College of Pharmacy was at 56th in the ‘pharmacy’ category but down from 47th rank in 2020. Goa Institute of Management (GIM) secured the 35th rank amongst top 75 management institutes in the country, scaling up the ladder from the 48th rank in 2020. No Goan institute made it to the top 100 in colleges, medical, law, architecture, dental and research.
Education in Goa requires to be given a major fillip, a revamp if needed to make our educational institutes competitive with the best in the country. If institutes of higher education in Goa are unable to deliver the quality that students want, can the youth of Goa be censured for seeking admission in universities in other States and even other countries?
Goa may have the oldest medical college in Asia, but where does it stand among medical colleges in the country? So students who want to excel will prefer medical colleges outside Goa than Goa Medical College. This is an example, but this is practically with most streams in the State. There is a brain drain from the State and it is not just climbing above the average. The youth are forced to go outside the because of a lack of employment opportunities, but also because the level of education is not State to study and then stay on there or move elsewhere for employment. Can we now realise why Goan youth yearn for a government job at any level as long as it is in the public sector? Perhaps the education system is not challenging them enough to aspire for a something more rewarding. Also, can we now realise why Goans do not do well enough in competitive exams? Perhaps it is the same reason.
Educationists in Goa need to introspect seriously on how the system can be improved. This is important as well as urgent. Goa needs to have better quality institutions imparting education to its youth.
