Context: Lack of action on the report, which was submitted to the University Grants Commission (UGC), was flagged by NAAC executive committee chairperson (Bhushan Patwardhan) in the days before he recently announced his resignation.

• Based on various complaints, the NAAC executive committee chairperson (Bhushan Patwardhan) suggested the need for an independent inquiry by appropriate high-level national agencies.

• The review panel, headed by J P Singh Joreel, was set up by NAAC executive committee chairperson, to review the functioning of the NAAC.

• The former chairperson of NAAC's executive committee resigned after alleging that malpractices were leading to questionable grades being awarded to some institutions.

A report was submitted (to the UGC last year) by the panel, with major findings

• The possibility of a compromised IT system;

• Presence of multiple “super admins” who have full access to the NAAC’s internal system and the power to allot experts;

• Non-maintenance of logs which may have adverse fall outs;

• Arbitrary allocation of experts raising questions of conflict of interest;

• Vested interests, malpractices are manipulating processes in the accreditation system;

• The process of selection of experts who comprise peer teams that are sent to assess applications for accreditation is neither random nor sequential;

• Nearly 70% of experts from the pool of assessors do not appear to have received any opportunity to conduct site visits while some others have had multiple such visits.

• Lack of action on the report was flagged by NAAC executive committee chairperson.

About National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)

• It is a government organisation (HQ in Bangalore) in India established in 1994 in response to recommendations of National Policy in Education (1986).

• It is an autonomous body that assesses and accredits Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) such as colleges, universities/other recognised institutions to derive an understanding of the ‘Quality Status’ of the institution.

• It is funded by the UGC and evaluates the institutions in terms of their performance related to the teaching-learning processes, faculty, research, infrastructure, governance, financial wellbeing, student services, etc.

What is the NAAC’s Accreditation Process?

• The first step involves an applicant institution submitting a self-study report (SSR) based on quantitative and qualitative metrics.

• The data is subjected to validation by expert teams of NAAC, with quality reviewed during site visits by peer teams.

• According to the Government of India, of the 1,113 universities and 43,796 colleges in the All-India Survey on Higher Education Report 2020-21, NAAC accredited 418 universities and 9,062 colleges as on January 31, 2023.

Criteria

• Currently, only institutes that are at least 6 years old or from where at least two batches of students have graduated can apply for accreditation, which is valid for 5 years.

Accreditation Mandate

• Accreditation by NAAC is voluntary, though many circulars have been issued by the UGC urging institutions to undergo assessment.

Efforts to Expedite Accreditation

• The UGC launched a scheme named 'Paramarsh' in 2019 to mentor institutes aspiring to get accredited.

• NAAC explored the possibility of issuing Provisional Accreditation for Colleges (PAC) to one-year-old institutes.

• The National Education Policy (2020) has set an ambitious target of getting all higher educational institutes to obtain the highest level of accreditation over the next 15 years.

Key Suggestion

• Promote Digital Learning: The use of digital technology can help make education more accessible, cost-effective, and efficient.

• Institutions should invest in digital infrastructure and provide training to students and faculty to adapt to new technologies.

• Increase Accreditation: The accreditation process should be made more transparent and accessible to encourage more institutions to seek accreditation.

• The government should also ensure that the accreditation process is fair and free from corruption.

• Promote International Collaborations: International collaborations can help improve the quality of education and research in India.

• Institutions should partner with foreign institutions to exchange knowledge, expertise, and resources.