Latest news with #NationalBoardofAccreditation
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Science
- The Hindu
NIRF to award mild penalty to institutions for retractions this year, harsh penalty next year
In a first, starting this year, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) will award negative scores to higher educational institutions for papers that have been retracted from journals in the last three calendar years and their corresponding citations. 'This year, we will award some negative weightage for retracted papers and their citations. Next year, the penalty will be harsher,' says Anil Sahashrabudhe, Chairperson of the National Board of Accreditation (NBA), the agency managing the NIRF. This is the first time the NIRF will be awarding negative weightage while calculating the ranking. 'Both the number of retractions as well as citations from these retracted papers will be taken into account,' Dr. Sahashrabudhe says. 'We are also learning and will fine-tune the negative scoring system as we go.' 'By awarding a negative score for retractions, we want to send out a strong message that research should be conducted ethically,' he says. Explaining the reason why the NIRF is awarding a negative score for retractions, he says: 'The number of retractions was small a few years ago but the numbers have increased in the couple of years. So we are taking this seriously.' While most of the retractions are due to unethical research practices such as data fabrication, manipulation of images, using the same image in multiple papers dealing with completely different materials, using large language models (LLMs) without proper disclosure etc., some are due to genuine mistakes. It is for this reason that journals do not wish to give the impression that retractions are necessarily bad. Will it be correct to penalise institutions for retractions that have been due to genuine mistakes and not due to unethical practices? 'Retractions due to genuine mistakes are far less, and that had been happening some years ago. But most of the retractions now are due to unethical practices,' he asserts. That the number of retracted papers from China and the U.S. is far higher than India cannot be cited as a reason, he says. 'India should not be in the race with China and the U.S. for negative things.' He does not rule out harsher penalties to institutions that continue to have a large number of retractions in the years to come. To begin with, the penalty will be mild this year, which will become harsh next year and harsher in the future if institutions continue to have a large number of retractions every year, he says. 'Maybe we may even blacklist institutions for a few years if the retractions stay high,' Dr. Sahashrabudhe says. Dismissing any objections that institutions should not be penalised for wrongdoings of individual researchers, he retorts: 'If institutions can take the credit for the number of papers published by their researchers, they should also take the discredit [penalty] for the retracted papers. They should take measures to ensure that the number of papers retracted reduces.' He then asks: 'What are the authorities doing? Where is the governance? Institutions already have internal quality teams. What are they doing?' It is time that institutions take research ethics seriously and encourage their faculty to engage in ethical research practices, he says. 'The focus should shift from mere quantity to quality of research and research ethics,' Dr. Sahashrabudhe says. 'Research and Professional Practices' is one of the important parameters used by the NIRF for ranking institutions. Under this head, scores are awarded for parameters such as the weighted number of publications in a given year, quality of publications which are measured based on the total citation counts over previous three years and the number of citations in the top 25 percentile averaged over the previous three years. According to him, international bodies involved in ranking institutions have started to take into account the retracted papers. This, he says, is a reflection of the increasing number of retractions in recent years. Unlike a few years ago, journals have now become more responsive to red flags raised by independent research integrity researchers who point out serious flaws in published papers. The time taken to retract papers has also reduced considerably. Also, journals on their own have begun investigations into papers produced using LLMs without correct disclosures, authors added or changed during the reviewing process without adequate explanations, and manuscripts produced by paper mills — fraudulent organisations that make money by writing fake manuscripts and offering authorship slots for sale to academic customers.
Hans India
28-06-2025
- General
- Hans India
NBA team inspects Padmavathi Women's Polytechnic College
Tirupati: An inspection was conducted on Friday by representatives of the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) at the TTD-run Sri Padmavathi Women's Polytechnic College. As a part of the NBA renewal process, an expert team from New Delhi visited the college and reviewed the laboratory, faculty, staff details, records and other infrastructure facilities. The team also gathered feedback from students regarding teaching quality, lab facilities, library and other academic aspects. Previously, the college had received NBA accreditation for a period of three years. As the validity period is getting completed, this inspection was carried out by the NBA officials. Dr M Padmavathamma, the Principal of the college, expressed her gratitude to the TTD management, TTD Education Department officials, and the college team for their cooperation during the inspection.
The Hindu
14-06-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
GITAM Deemed to be University receives NBA accreditation
GITAM Deemed to be University received accreditation granted by National Board of Accreditation (NBA) under the Tier-I format aligned with the Washington Accord. The NBA accreditation is a significant endorsement of quality, particularly in engineering and technology programmes. It validates program outcomes, institutional processes, and ensures alignment with international educational standards—thereby enhancing the global mobility and employability of graduates, according to a release here on Saturday. The NBA has accredited GITAM programmes such as in Computer Science, Electronics and Communication, and Biotechnology, and also and Master of Computer Applications.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
HC dismisses plea against publishing NIRF rankings
Madurai: Madras high court dismissed a plea seeking a direction to the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) to publish the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings only after comparing and verifying the data submitted by the institutions with the data in govt records and disclosing the calculation court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by C Chellamuthu. The petitioner stated that in all the ranking parameters, the data provided by the institutions that got NIRF ranking was manipulated and completely false. There is no transparency or accountability of the data submitted by the institutions. Instead of collecting data from the available official govt records, institutions were invited to submit the data online. Rankings are published based on the data without verification. Operation Sindoor 'Common sense prevailed': Trump on India-Pak ceasefire on Truth Social 'Pakistan initiated call; both nations agreed to stop military action after direct talks', says India Ceasefire took effect at 5pm; top India, Pak military officials to talk again on May 12 This could negatively impact the quality of education in India. Hence, the petitioner moved the court granted an interim stay restraining the Union ministry of education and the NBA from publishing the NIRF ranking for 2025. The court also directed the authorities to file a counter. The Centre submitted there is a separate scientific method that is being followed and that the method is prescribed by an expert body.A division bench of justice J Nisha Banu and justice S Srimathy observed that from the materials available on record, it is seen that the petition is premature. There is no data before the court to compare and determine the correctness of the rankings. Therefore, the court is not inclined to entertain the petition. If the petitioner is aggrieved after the publication of the list, he may challenge the same along with evidence in the manner known to law, if so advised, the judges observed and dismissed the petition.
Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Yogi: Bring private educational institutions in state under SIRF for uniform quality benchmarks
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday directed that private institutions in the state be brought under the State Institutional Ranking (SIRF) to maintain uniform quality benchmarks across the board. The CM, who chaired a review meeting of the Technical Education and Vocational Education departments, stressed that all technical institutions must actively participate in quality evaluations conducted by bodies such as the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), National Board of Accreditation (NBA), and National Institutional Ranking (NIRF). He, however, underlined the need for thorough preparation before applying for these accreditations to maintain excellence. Technical Education Minister Ashish Patel and Vocational Education Minister Kapil Dev Aggarwal were also present in the meeting. It was informed during the meeting that 1.64 lakh seats have been offered at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow, for the academic session 2024-25. The university has aligned its curriculum with the National Education Policy, 2020, introducing MOOC-based learning, a choice-based credit system, multiple entry and exit options and integrated programmes, it was claimed. The CM was apprised that in 2023-24 academic year, 12,739 students from the university secured employment, with the highest annual package reaching Rs 59.91 lakh. He instructed the officials to expedite recruitment for all vacant academic and non-academic positions. While reviewing diploma-level technical education, it was noted that 2,139 polytechnic institutes are currently functioning in the state. These include 147 government, 19 aided, 1,948 private and 18 institutions under the public private partnership (PPP) mode, with a total intake capacity of over 2.68 lakh students, officials said. At present, more than 1.15 lakh students are enrolled in these institutions, they added. Officials of the Department of Vocational Education and Skill Development informed that 324 government and 2,982 private ITIs are operational in the state. With support from Tata Technologies Limited, 212 government ITIs have been upgraded with modern laboratories and trained instructors. These institutions now offer both long-term courses and short-term skill development programmes, it was informed. For the 2024–25 academic year, nearly 1.25 lakh trainees have secured apprenticeship and employment opportunities. More than 30,000 students have also applied under the PM Internship Scheme. It was also noted that modern skill laboratories have been set up in at least 37 districts through corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributions from reputed industrial units. The regular organisation of monthly placement drives has significantly boosted local employment, with more than 2.67 lakh apprentices placed over the past five years under the NPS and CMAPS schemes.
