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NIRF rank drop the hot topic at SPPU Management Council meeting

Dr Jyotsna Ekbode, a member of the council, told The Indian Express, “All of us have felt very disappointed about these rankings, including the Vice-Chancellor. Our university that we say is number 1 in Maharashtra, has fallen in the ranking.

The SPPU Senate is scheduled for September 30, and the slide in rankings is expected to be a major point of discussion there as well.

The recent drop in National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking was a major topic of discussion at a meeting of the Management Council of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) today. The university was ranked 91 in the Overall category in this year’s ranking, a big slide from rank 37 it achieved last year. The meeting lasted for four hours, of which over two hours were spent in discussing the ranking drop.

Dr Jyotsna Ekbode, a member of the council, told The Indian Express, “All of us have felt very disappointed about these rankings, including the Vice-Chancellor. Our university that we say is number 1 in Maharashtra, has fallen in the ranking. The main point raised by everybody was that the number of faculty is extremely small. Teachers, and even non-teaching staff. The university is running on one-third of the required staff. Even the non-teaching staff get exhausted. We are hearing that 111 people will be hired in the last two years, but there is no progress on that either.”

She added, “We have decided that we will introspect and call for some corrective measures. We had other agendas discussed today as well, but all members spoke on this.. Even though as council members we don’t teach or do research at the university, we are also at fault and no one is denying that something has gone wrong.”

Sagar Vaidya, another member, said, “A detailed analysis was done in today’s Management Council meeting regarding the decline in the ranking. While the mistakes were highlighted, it was decided to carry out work on future opportunities. Professor recruitment is definitely a reason but apart from that, the members have decided to work on a ‘plan of success’ regarding research, public perception, examinations, hostels etc.”

Vice-Chancellor Suresh Gosavi said, “We have tried to analyse where we are lagging behind so that we can overcome it in due time. It was a discussion with the members, the data is there and we tried to see how to fix it. For example, how many economically and socially challenged students join the college is dynamic data and it changes every year. Diversity of students is not in anyone’s hand. We are still working on the complete data analysis.”

In a statement shared after the rankings were released, the University blamed the slide on a decrease in faculty numbers due to retirement and increase in student numbers due to the Union Government’s New Education Policy.

The SPPU Senate is scheduled for September 30, and the slide in rankings is expected to be a major point of discussion there as well.

Soham Shah

Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More

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