Thiruvananthapuram: In a first, Kerala has launched its own institution rankings called the Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework (KIRF) becoming the first state in India to introduce its own grading system.
So far, educational institutions in all Indian states have been assessed by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). The KIRF, however, still adheres to the National Institute of Ranking Framework's model.
KIRF was announced on May 3, 2023, when the State Minister for Higher Education, R Bindu, officially unveiled the framework. Henceforth, higher education in the state will be based on the Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework which seeks to improve the democratic and secular nature of the state's grading and ranking practises, according to media reports.
The KIRF is to publish ranking reports each year on the basis of the following: overall, engineering, management, architecture, medical, dental, pharmacy, nursing, law, and teacher education. The Keralan government announced that state-specific standards and metrics would be taken into consideration when rating higher education institutions.
The rankings will be overlooked by the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) and would consider the following categories.
Overall
Universities
Colleges
Engineering
Management
Architecture
Medical
Dental
Pharmacy
Nursing
Law
Teacher education