Calcutta University vice-chancellor Ashutosh Ghosh has asked teachers to take steps to improve the varsity’s standing in the annual ranking exercise conducted by the Union education ministry.

Ghosh asked faculty members to analyse the possible reasons for the dip in ranking and suggest measures for improvement.

“We have to analyse the reasons and take steps to improve our standards. I have told teachers to be more forthcoming about submitting data on the number of patents and the university’s outreach programmes, which are factored into the annual ranking exercise,” he said.

“The drop in ranking is a matter of concern. If we do not improve, we will struggle to attract funds from agencies and bright students,” he added.

Calcutta University fell sharply in the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF). Among state universities, CU dropped from 4th place in 2024 to 15th this year. In the overall university category, it slipped from 18th to 39th.

Sanatan Chattopadhyay, secretary of the Calcutta University Teachers’ Association, said the VC urged them to work collectively to better the rankings.

After assuming office in early November, Ghosh identified improving NIRF scores as a key priority.

The VC observed that data on research publications and patents were not being submitted sufficiently. “Officials are doing the task with minimal teacher involvement. This gap must be bridged. Professors and officials need to work in close cooperation,” he said.

Chattopadhyay said that CU lacks a centralised repository to register teachers’ achievements, causing repeated data requests that can discourage faculty.

Chattopadhyay of the teachers’ association also highlighted the poor teacher-student ratio, which is considered by the ministry in rankings.

Metro reported in July that 52% of CU’s teaching positions are allegedly vacant, with only 396 teachers against 835 sanctioned posts.

VC Ghosh said: “I am keen to fill the vacancies immediately. The issue will be discussed at a syndicate meeting next week.”

A teacher also stressed that CU needs reaccreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) for better ranking. The last accreditation was in February 2017. The VC has formed a committee to prioritise reaccreditation.