State Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil Monday said that along with no faculty hiring due to poor state finances, frequent protests were leading to a fall in the ‘perception’ parameter of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).The minister made these remarks while speaking at the 126th convocation ceremony of SPPU.Patil said, “We also know the reasons (behind the decline). There is a lack of professors due to economic difficulties of the state and some rules… But is there only one parameter for ranking? No, there are 20 parameters. The Vice Chancellor, Pro Vice Chancellor and I had discussions on this as the Chief Minister was also worried about this. One of the columns (in NIRF) is ‘perception’…I am not against students, questions, or protests. But what is the form of protest? Can it be solved by dialogue?”“The university should also understand the effect this has on the perception on social media, in the country, and in the world. If there is a fight in the house you don’t go to the street saying that you had a fight with your wife…If there are constant protests in the university, how will students come here? We appointed an agency to attract foreign students and it has done great work. But these students should stay here right? How will that happen if there are constant protests, fights, and abuses?,” he added.However, NIRF data shows that the university’s score in the perception parameter has remained in the same range over the past seven years.SPPU’s rank in NIRF’s Overall category dropped from 37 in 2024 to 91 in the 2025 ranking released earlier this month.The institute scored 16.61 in perception parameter, a drop from the 24.29 score it achieved in the last ranking.Story continues below this adHowever, the university achieved its best rank of 16 in 2018, when it had a lower score (15.04) in the perception parameter.With the exception of two years, the university’s score in the perception parameter has been within the range of 15 and 17 in the seven years between 2018 and 2025.The parameter measures peer perception amongst employers and academics. According to the NIRF website, this is done through “a survey conducted over a large category of Employers, Professionals from Reputed Organizations and a large category of academics to ascertain their preference for graduates of different institutions”.The university scored 24.29 marks in perception in 2024, 15.82 in 2023, 16.97 in 2022, 16.41 in 2021, 21.41 in 2020, and 16.55 in 2019.Story continues below this adOn the flip side, a clear drop in the teaching, learning and resources (TLR) parameter has been observed in the last seven years. The score in this parameter has gradually dropped to 51.46 in 2025 from 70.70 in 2018.Meanwhile, as many as 98,821 students were awarded degrees and diplomas at the 126th Convocation Ceremony of one of the largest Universities in the state.Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman of the Executive Council of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), was the chief guest at the convocation and the program chairman was Vice-Chancellor of SPPU Prof Suresh Gosavi.Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Parag Kalkar, Officiating Registrar Prof Jyoti Bhakare, Officiating Director of the Examination and Evaluation Board Prof Prabhakar Desai, Finance and Accounts Officer Dr Charushila Gayake, Deans, Management Council members, Academic Council and Senate members, Directors of Schools, Heads of Departments, Professors, invited guests, and graduating students and their parents were present at the event.