Institution Of Eminence Scheme

• 29 Mar 2023

For Prelims: UGC, World-class teaching systems, Higher education, Quality teaching and Research.

For Mains: Institution of Eminence Scheme.

Why in News?

There are many Institutes which, after being selected for the Institution of Eminence (IoE) Status, are still waiting for the IOE status for more than three years.

What is the Institution of Eminence Scheme?

• About:
  • The central Government formulated the IoE scheme to establish 20 prestigious educational institutions in the country.
  • It was introduced by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2017 that required the IoE scheme to receive accreditation within five years of notification.
  • The status of ‘Institute of Eminence’ was launched to empower higher education institutions in India and help them implement world-class teaching systems to enhance affordable access to high-quality education.
    • Twenty institutions (10 Public and 10 Private Institutions) received the grant, and eleven among the selected ones got the Institutions of Eminence status in April 2021.
• Objective:
  • Excellence and Innovation: To provide for higher education leading to excellence and innovations in such branches of knowledge as may be deemed fit at post-graduate, graduate and research degree levels.
  • Specialization: To engage in areas of specialization to make distinctive contributions to the objectives of the university education system.
  • Global Rating: To aim to be rated internationally for its teaching and research as a top hundred Institution in the world over time.
  • Quality Teaching and Research: To provide for high quality teaching and research and for the advancement of knowledge and its dissemination
• Criteria:
  • Global/National Ranking: Only those institutions which have appeared in any of the global/national ranks (e.g., QS, NIRF) shall be recommended for the IoE status. The Institutions should be among:
    • Top 50 in the National institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in their category.
    • Top 500 in internationally recognised rankings like the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS.
  • Greenfield Proposals: Only after exhausting the above criterion, if any slot remains vacant, shall consideration be given to yet to be established (Greenfield) proposals.
    • The term greenfield project generally refers to the initiation of a project without the need to consider any prior work.
    • The Greenfield Institutions would get a 3-year period to establish and operationalize the institution, and thereafter, EEC will consider giving IoE status to such institutions.
• Benefits:
  • Autonomy: Institutes with IOE tag will be given greater autonomy and freedom to decide fees, course durations and governance structures.
  • Grant: The public institutions under the IOE tag will receive a government grant of Rs 1,000 crore, while the private institutions will not get any funding under the scheme.

Source: IE