Higher Education Minister R. Bindu formally launched the Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework (KIRF), modelled on the lines of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), to assess the quality of higher education institutions in the State here on Wednesday.
The Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) will be the implementing agency of the annual ranking exercise. The State has become the first in the country to establish a State-specific ranking framework for its higher education institutions by way of the initiative.
The ranking framework will classify the participating institutions as universities, colleges, engineering, management, architecture, medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing, law and teacher education institutions. They will also compete against each other to determine overall rankings.
While its ranking parameters will be largely based on those followed in the NIRF, they will also include State-specific criteria and indicators for assessment. In addition to the other parameters, the KIRF will stand apart from the NIRF for assessing the performance of institutions in terms of scientific temper and scientific outlook, adoption of green technology, and accreditation and ranking.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Bindu expressed optimism that the KIRF will become the hallmark of the excellence of higher education institutions in the State. The ranking system will reflect the ethos of social justice, scientific temper and secularism that are upheld by the State. The launch of the KIRF that was included in the government’s third 100-day action programme will help transform the State into a knowledge society, she added.
The Minister also launched the KIRF website (www.kirf.kshec.org) and logo and released the revised handbook on outcome based education prepared by the KSHEC.
KSHEC vice chairman Rajan Gurukkal presided over the function. Vice-Chancellors of various universities, Mohanan Kunnummal, Sabu Thomas, Saji Gopinath, P.G. Sankaran and M.K. Jayaraj, Kannur University Pro Vice-Chancellor A. Sabu, and KSHEC member secretary Rajan Varughese also participated.
