Every year, new rankings hit the headlines — “Top 100 in India,” “Asia’s Best,” “QS Superstar.” Colleges celebrate with hoardings, alumni high-five on LinkedIn, and ministers quote numbers with pride. But step into a classroom or talk to a fresh graduate… and reality coughs politely in the background.
We now have rankings by international firms (with mysterious metrics), national frameworks (under political umbrellas), and even institutional self-praise systems. But here’s the million-rupee question: if the institutions are so highly ranked, why are the graduates so poorly prepared? Are the world’s “best” academicians producing the “worst” products — or is the ranking circus completely disconnected from ground realities? Where is the data on actual competencies, problem-solving skills, or real-world readiness? Or are we just rating infrastructure, publications, and polished websites?
When rankings matter more than results, we’re building ivory towers with hollow degrees. And a generation’s future is waiting to fall from the top floor.
