TN Govt to roll out SIRF for colleges, varsities

chennai: the tamil nadu government has given its nod to develop a state institutional ranking framework (sirf) to assess and rank higher education institutions in the state.according to an official order issued on monday, the tamil nadu state council for higher education (tansche) will be the implementing agency for the new ranking system. the government has sanctioned rs 75 lakh for the project and an additional rs 10 lakh to cover initial expenses, including formation of an expert committee, stakeholder consultations and software development.the sirf aims to provide a holistic evaluation of institutions, focusing on student skill development, competency building and professional readiness, apart from conventional metrics.inthe first phase, an expert committee will consult stakeholders from academia and industry to finalise performance indicators and evaluation metrics. these will be pilot-tested in 20 institutions across various disciplines and fine-tuned based on feedback.the move comes amid concerns that existing frameworks like the national institutional ranking framework (nirf) place excessive emphasis on research output and publication counts, while student learning outcomes and employability receive less attention.officials said the sirf will incorporate indicators covering problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, teamwork and ethics. metrics such as internships, placement rates and alumni achievements will also be included.to ensure transparency, all submitted data will be verified, and the ranking criteria will be accessible to the public. tansche will set up a digital platform for data collection, analysis and reporting, the order stated.