Sri Sathya Sai University, established in 1981, was formally called the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Deemed university). Despite intensive attempts to publicise it as a top centre of learning, with devotees posting misinfomational halleluja statements about it, including on a Wikipedia page, it is not on the list of the QS World University Rankings® currently considers over 2,000 and evaluates over 700 universities in the world, ranking the top 400. Academic Ranking of World Universities 2011 ranks only two Indian Institutes within the first 500 best universities – between 300 and 500. No other ranking list contains any Sai Baba institutions of any kind.
Due to political and finance influence, rather than any hint of excellence of the Sathya Sai educational colleges, the Indian Government led by Sai devotee prime ministers and presidents – gave them subsidies and raised the status of his ‘deemed university’ to full official status. It is a faith university, and is completely inconsequential as regards science and humanities. Despite it being of such a low educational level that graduates could not think outside the mental learn-by-rote boxes – nor were they allowed to expose the many fallacious and ignorant ‘teachings’ of Sai Baba that were part of their daily fare. The famous former editor of Sai Baba’s journal, V.K. Narasimhan, told me how appalling was the method and standard of education there, because most students who obtained Ph. D. degrees there were incapable of any informed discussion of questions other than by repeating what they had learned. Further, college teachers have this year revolted against the Central Trust for failing to pay them properly.
Add to the reputation the Sai Baba colleges have regarding the repeatedly testified widespread sexual abuse of male students and its popularity is declining, the more so now that the figurehead is dead. This is seen in many ways… for example, on the official page for Sai Educational Institutions, the links to Sri Sathya Sai University are either dead or extremely slow to download (see http://sssihl.edu.in/). Furthermore, the link on the main page to “Ashram Information” leads nowhere but back to the same page! Many such signs of decline in the entire Sai movement and organizations are to be found throughout the Internet. Websites formerly visited a lot are now up for sale.


Web vandalism by fanatics


