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Context:

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) is set to name a permanent vice-chancellor after a delay of over a year.

About Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)

The Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work in Mumbai was established in 1936 by the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust. It was renamed the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in 1944.

TISS was recognised as a deemed university by the Government of India in 1964 under the University Grants Commission Act of 1956.

Deemed University

A deemed university is a higher education institution accredited by the Ministry of Education and declared by the Central Government on the advice of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Section 3 of the UGC Act of 1956 empowers the Central Government to designate an institution as a deemed university if it performs exceptionally well in a specialised academic field.

Deemed universities have the same academic status and privileges as universities, including the ability to award UGC-specified degrees, revise the curriculum, and conduct examinations and evaluations.

Expansion

TISS has grown considerably over the years. It moved to its permanent campus in Deonar, Mumbai, in 1954. The campus was expanded in 2001 to include the New Campus. In 1986, TISS established a rural campus in Tuljapur, Maharashtra. In 2011, the university expanded further with off-campus locations in Guwahati and Hyderabad. TISS has centres throughout India, including Leh, Ladakh, and Port Blair.

Academic programs

TISS provides a variety of academic programs, including post-graduate and doctoral degrees in subjects such as Habitat Studies, Management and Labour Studies, Disaster Studies, Development Studies, Education, Gender Studies, Health Studies, Law, Media and Cultural Studies, Public Policy, Rural Development, and Social Work.

Global Collaborations

TISS has collaborated with a number of prestigious institutions worldwide. These include the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics.

Social work and field action

TISS has always prioritised field action and responding to social challenges. For example, TISS has actively participated in disaster response efforts such as India's partition, and the Bhopal disaster.

Governance Structure

TISS is led by a governing board appointed by the Government of India, the Government of Maharashtra, the University of Mumbai, and the University Grants Commission.

Academic matters are handled by the academic council, which is made up of faculty members and external experts.

TISS was ranked 98th overall in India and 58th among universities by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024.

Must Read Articles:

NATIONAL INSTITUTIONAL RANKING FRAMEWORK (NIRF) 2024

DEEMED UNIVERSITY

Source:

The Hindu

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q.Consider the following statements in the context of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024:

1. It is an initiative of the NITI Aayog.

2. IIT Delhi has been ranked as the best education institution in the country.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

A) 1 only

B) 2 only

C) Both 1 and 2

D) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: D

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect:

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is an initiative of the Ministry of Education (MoE) to rank higher education institutions across the country. The MoE released the ninth edition of the NIRF in August 2024.

Statement 2 is incorrect:

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has been ranked as the best education institution in the country for the sixth time since 2019, and it has also maintained its first place in engineering for the ninth consecutive year since 2016.