Upshots of the Galgotias robodog controversy

The Galgotias University’s fraudulent claim of having created a robodog has had a couple of ramifications—one unpleasant and one beneficial. Let’s start with the first one. The expose brought ridicule and criticism to not just the varsity but the entire country. The biggest sufferers, however, will be its students: their parents spent lakhs of rupees on their education, and now they will have to bear the stigma of having studied there when they enter the job market. For the university will inevitably be remembered as one of the ‘robodog fame’ for a long time. The other upshot can do a lot of good for our higher education and future generations: the infamous incident has brought not just Galgotias but all private universities under the spotlight. A report leading English daily has highlighted the sharp contrast between the performance of these varsities and government higher education institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes of Science (IISc) in terms of patent approvals. All IITS, collectively, filed for 6,558 patents and got 2,806, an approval rate of almost 43 per cent. The performance of the IISc was better—46.5 per cent, as 336 of 723 of its applications were approved.

On the other hand, private universities filed many more patents, but their approval rate is lower than three per cent. Galgotias is reportedly the worst, applying for 2,233 patents, while getting just two, or 0.08 per cent. Three points need to be made. First, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) need to change their methodologies to evaluate a university. The NIRF outlines a methodology to rank institutions across the country. It identifies the broad parameters for ranking various universities and institutions. The NAAC’s mandate includes the task of performance evaluation, assessment and accreditation of universities and colleges in the country. Its website says, “The philosophy of NAAC is based on objective and continuous improvement rather than being punitive or judgmental, so that all institutions of higher learning are empowered to maximize their resources, opportunities and capabilities. Assessment is a performance evaluation of an institution and/or its units and is accomplished through a process based on self-study and peer review using defined criteria.” Evidently, the two government bodies have not been able to highlight the stark difference in the performance between private and public universities on the important metric of patent approvals. Both reportedly take patents filed into account.

Second, the government must make people aware of the reality of higher education institutions. Also, it must ensure that fantastic claims are not made by private universities, hereafter. And, finally, parents should be wary of the marketing blitz by private universities—advertisements in newspapers and channels highlighting spic-and-span buildings and impressive infrastructure, claims made by their promoters and principals, and so on. All that glitters is not gold. Before committing significant financial resources, families should examine independent rankings, faculty profiles, research records, accreditation reports, and alumni outcomes. A beautiful campus cannot compensate for weak academic standards. The robodog controversy is more than a fleeting scandal. It is a mirror held up to systemic vulnerabilities in India’s higher education landscape. It should lead to reform in rankings, stricter oversight, and greater public awareness.