What’s synonymous with IISC, IITs, BITS Pilani and Manipal Institute? According to the central govt, it’s Jio Insititute, a project of Nita Ambani’s Reliance Foundation that has not even been established. The Empowered Expert Committee set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) conferred 6 institutions with ‘Institute of Eminence (IOE)’ status. The listed institutes shall be regulated differently from other deemed to be universities.
Since the HRD Ministry intends to confer the IOE status to a non-existent university that has no students, no academic programs and not even a campus, we came up with a list of our own fictional universities that the government ought to consider adding to its list:
5. St Teresa from Student Of The Year (SOTY)
Who cares about artificial intelligence and genetic engineering when you can become the ‘Student of the Year’ at a university by participating in a treasure hunt and bedazzling everyone with your dance moves? Now that’s educational eminence.
4. Starfleet Academy
There’s no fixed date when the Jio Institute will be established, so why not make an academy ‘IoE’ that at least does have one, however late in the future. Star Trek’s Starfleet Academy was created in the year 2161 to train officer corps. How to take admission? Take a ‘psych test’ and face your greatest fear.
3. Monsters University
Better to have monsters living under your bed than shouting in the parliament, right? Monsters University (from the namesake movie) offers majors in things like Scaring, Door design and Liberal Arts & Monstrosities.
2. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry
Beyond all the magic, dragons and Quidditch, one word — Butterbeer. That should be enough to accord Hogwarts as Institute of Eminence (IoE).
1. Trump University
This is a university which is not accredited, doesn’t have a campus, does not confer college credits, grant degrees or grade students. But the latter hasn’t faced multiple lawsuits asserting that the institution engaged in a variety of illegal business practices, yet.
And well, it’s now defunct.
