Why in News?

• Recently, There are many Institutes which, after being selected for the Institution of Eminence (IoE) Status, are still waiting for the IOE status for more than three years.

Highlights

• The central Government formulated the IoE scheme to establish 20 prestigious educational institutions in the country.
• It was introduced by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2017 that required the IoE scheme to receive accreditation within five years of notification.
• The status of ‘Institute of Eminence’ was launched to empower higher education institutions in India and help them implement world-class teaching systems to enhance affordable access to high-quality education.
• Twenty institutions (10 Public and 10 Private Institutions) received the grant, and eleven among the selected ones got the Institutions of Eminence status in April 2021.
• Only those institutions which have appeared in any of the global/national ranks (e.g., QS, NIRF) shall be recommended for the IoE status. The Institutions should be among:
• Top 50 in the National institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in their category.
• Top 500 in internationally recognised rankings like the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS.
• Only after exhausting the above criterion, if any slot remains vacant, shall consideration be given to yet to be established (Greenfield) proposals.
• The term greenfield project generally refers to the initiation of a project without the need to consider any prior work.
• The Greenfield Institutions would get a 3-year period to establish and operationalize the institution, and thereafter, EEC will consider giving IoE status to such institutions.
• Institutes with IOE tag will be given greater autonomy and freedom to decide fees, course durations and governance structures.
• The public Institutions under the IOE tag will receive a government grant of Rs 1,000 crore, while the private institutions will not get any funding under the scheme.