Research integrity, redundant syllabus among reasons: Ex-Vice Chancellor Kalmarkar on SPPU’s NIRF fall

In his speech at the event Karmalkar talked about updating the syllabus and said, “We must think about how redundant has the syllabus become. Many times we see that the intake is 20 but there are not even 2 students. This means that the syllabus is outdated and there is no demand in the market. Such subjects should be analysed and checked if it is possible to shut them. It should also be kept in mind that it is very easy to shut but it is also a question of the professor’s livelihood. So what alternative can be provided (must be thought about).”

He added that steps must be taken to increase the ‘Perception’ metric of the university that had fallen. “Another area we are lacking in is perception, maybe not just from today but even during or before my time. Just like emeritus professors, we have a category called distinguished professors. We had selected people who would provide the university with visibility, like Satish Alekar, Sanjay Dhande, Vikram Gokhale, etc. Just their presence on our campus has a lot of indirect benefits,” said Kalmalkar.

Talking about data input by the universities for rankings such as NIRF, Kalmalkar, who was the Vice-Chancellor from 2017 to 2022, said, “While compiling the data, we had to analyse each and every parameter of where we are falling behind everyday. And one must know how to play with that data. That is what private universities do. Is there any such thing as permanent faculty in private universities? We all know what is the truth. But still if they are able to improve in their rankings; it means that they have understood the way the data needs to be compiled…the permutations and combinations have to be continuously analysed.”

Karmalkar also suggested inclusion of modern courses, “Today’s era is of AI, data science, bioinformatics, and such fields. Therefore when we talk about the university it is not just the size but also scale, speed, and scope. What work are we doing in emerging fields to compete with private universities?”