Furore over eminence status to Jio institute

After Jio Institute, an education- venture by the Reliance Foundation, was given the tag of ‘ Institution of Eminence’ by minister of HRD Prakash Javadekar on Monday, the authenticity of the tag has been under the scanner. There is no information regarding Jio Institute and it is yet to be established.

Apart from Reliance’s venture, public institutes chosen for the eminence status are IITs of Delhi and Bombay while the private institutes were BITS Pilani and Manipal Academy of Higher Education. These institutes are one among the prestigious institutes in the country and have existed for many years.

This newspaper contacted Tushar Pania, a spokesperson for Reliance, and even mailed questions to understand their side of the story. However, there was no response.

Fahad Ahmed, general secretary of students’ union, Tata Institute of Social Science ( TISS), Mumbai campus, feels that the eminence status for Jio Institute is only because of the warm relations shared between PM Narendra Modi and Mukesh Ambani. “The said institute does not even enlist in the NIRF ranking of MHRD.”

Meanwhile, a professor of IIT- Bombay, on condition of anonymity, said, “The difference between public and private institutions is the government’s intervention. If the government starts treating private entities in the same manner, then of course it won’t be about making money. Or this might be a move to attract students or youngsters to the university using this tactic.” Facing criticism, the HRD ministry on Tuesday clarified that the tag was conditional.