Latest news with #NationalAssessmentandAccreditationCouncil
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
BDU counting on NAAC reforms for easier re-accreditation
Trichy: Almost 15 months after its accreditation by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) expired, Bharathidasan University is yet to apply for re-accreditation, and is now placing its bets on the upcoming reforms by the council which is expected to cut short the laborious re-accreditation process. BDU's third accreditation cycle — through which it received an A+ in April 2019 — expired in Mar 2024. Thereafter, the university did not apply for the fourth cycle of accreditation, drawing flak from academicians who have warned that the university risks losing eligibility to run its distance education programmes. Ineligibility for special grants and central schemes are the other disadvantages. "The license for the distance education programmes expires in February and requires renewal from the Distance Education Bureau (DEB). Without NAAC accreditation, the university cannot apply for it, and it risks losing its financial backbone," said a university source. "We are in the final stages of filing the self study report (SSR). It's a laborious task involving a lot of work, and with our limited resources, manpower, and administrative hurdles, the university is still working to complete it. The new process being planned by NAAC is expected to support our case better," said a senior university official. Officials of NAAC, an autonomous body under the University Grants Commission (UGC), said that among the many upcoming reforms is the increased digitisation of the accreditation process, eliminating the need for field inspections as much as possible. "For Level-1 and Level-2 institutions, it will be made fully online. For Level-3 institutions, it will follow a hybrid model — online processing with field visits by the NAAC team," said Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman of NAAC's executive council. Sources said the announcement could be made on July 29 by the Union ministry, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of National Education Policy (NEP). "Even recently, BDU did not feature in the ANRF Prime Minister's Professorship scheme for superannuated faculty or scientists. The reasons could be multiple — a few other universities in Tamil Nadu also didn't feature — but such omissions are likely to happen more often if there's no NAAC accreditation," said a senior retired professor. Academicians also criticised the university for relying on reforms that are yet to be officially announced.
New Indian Express
20-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
NAAC introduces fully digital, simplified accreditation system for colleges, universities
NEW DELHI: To upgrade the quality of higher education in the country, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous body under the University Grants Commission (UGC), has revamped the accreditation process and taken it online. Colleges and Universities will only receive intimation on whether they have been given accreditation or not with the seven-scale rating system that had existed the last three decades to be done away with. An official announcement is likely to be made on July 29 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a grand event to be organised by the Ministry of Education to mark the fifth anniversary of the launch of the National Education Policy 2020, said sources. Chairman of the Executive Council of NAAC, Anil Sahasrabudhe, told this newspaper, 'As on date, roughly 40% of the 1,170 universities in the country have obtained accreditation. When it comes to colleges, not even 20% of the 50,000-odd colleges have managed to get it. Our objective is to ensure that between 90%-95% of these higher educational institutions obtain the accreditation.' Accreditation is a stamp of guarantee of the quality of education offered in the institution. 'It will help the students enormously as they will gain knowledge of a good standard. Parents too will be relieved as they are assured of the quality provided in the institution after paying a hefty sum as fee,' he explained. A senior education official said that the fear of not getting a good grade in the existing system had actually put off hundreds of institutions from applying for the accreditation in the past. Higher educational institutions are presently offered the NAAC accreditation for a five-year period. The revamped process will bring it down to just three years. 'The basic process of obtaining the accreditation will be done fully online with no field visits required by the Committee. This is a major step in simplifying the process and encouraging higher educational institutions to come forward to apply to NAAC,' he said. A new system of gradation will be introduced. 'Those who get the accreditation can next opt for Maturity-Based Graded Accreditation with five levels set to be introduced, ranging between Level 1 and Level 5. Colleges and universities can keep upgrading themselves with one level after another. Level-1 and Level-2 are relatively easy to get and can be obtained online. Level-3 will be a hybrid one with online and field visits to the institute by the NAAC team,' he said. Institutions which already offer a high standard can directly apply to a higher level rather than approach the process step by step, he added. Level-4 and Level-5 will be extremely difficult to obtain and have stringent qualifying criteria. The latter will only be awarded to institutions offering education on par with international standards, Sahasrabudhe added.
Time of India
30-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
With NAAC Grade A, BAU sees rise in candidate turnout at entrance test this yr
1 2 3 Bhagalpur: With a Grade 'A' certification from National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Bihar Agricultural University (BAU) witnessed an increase in the turnout of candidates in its entrance examination for postgraduate (PG) courses and PhD, held on Sunday. Last year, the turnout was 82.5%, which increased to 95.5% this time. Crediting their recent success in achieving NAAC Grade 'A' accreditation as the reason for the increase in the turnout, vice-chancellor (VC) D R Singh on Monday said that they have also been witnessing a sharp rise in inquiries from students as well as parents, more so women, from across the country for different undergraduate and PG courses, besides research (PhD), at the BAU. There are also inquiries about hostels and mess facilities. The VC added that in addition to academic distinctions, the BAU continues to gain recognition for its innovation ecosystem, especially through its incubation centre SABAGRIs, Krishi Vigyan Kendras, field-driven research programmes and partnerships with leading institutions at national and international levels.
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Guv virtually addresses PRSU Foundation Day
Prayagraj: Prof Rajendra Singh (Rajju Bhaiya) University, Prayagraj, celebrated its 9th Foundation Day on Tuesday. Addressing the event virtually, the Chancellor of the state university and Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Anandiben Patel , lauded the consistent academic, research, and social progress of the university. The celebration coincided with the ongoing three-day assessment process (June 16–18, 2025) by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Addressing the NAAC peer team, the governor expressed confidence that the university would soon earn national recognition and establish a strong identity in the academic landscape of the country. Vice-chancellor, PRSU, prof Akhilesh Kumar Singh, highlighted the university's journey, achievements, and future goals. He emphasised the institution's pivotal role in nation-building through education and congratulated the university fraternity for their dedication. He urged all stakeholders to continue working with the same spirit to take the university to greater heights. Among the seven-member NAAC peer team, two members were present on the campus, while five, including the chairperson, joined online. The team expressed satisfaction with the presentations, documents, and campus activities. The event was anchored by assistant professor, department of applied economics Shweta Kumari and concluded with a vote of thanks by the registrar Sanjay Kumar. tnn
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
NAAC team's credibility in question, RU gets A+ grade
1 2 Jaipur: Rajasthan University announced Sunday that the university has received an A+ grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). A team from NAAC visited the university from June 3-5 for the third cycle of assessment. Rajasthan University has received an A+ rank after over two decades. Just last week, a question mark was raised over the visiting NAAC team's credibility following allegations of conflict of interest involving the team's chairperson. On June 13, TOI had reported that Prof Nageshwar Rao, who led the NAAC evaluation team during their June 3-5 visit, served on the advisory council of RA Podar Institute of Management, an RU-affiliated institution, from Jan 18, 2021, until Feb 14 this year. This appointment appears to violate NAAC's ethical guidelines, which mandate that team members should have no institutional associations within the previous three years. Before this, the evaluation process was done by NAAC in 2016. Officials said that with this grade given by NAAC, not only will Rajasthan University be recognised at the international level, but the university will be able provide better platforms to the students. "Due to the pending process of evaluation by NAAC for the last four years, the university was deprived of the grants through various schemes of the central govt, and the students were unable to benefits of new schemes," stated an official release issued by the university. Officials added that after this assessment, RU will be eligible for financial grants from the central govt. Vice-chancellor Prof Alpana Kateja dedicated this achievement to the continuous efforts by all the teachers and staff. She said that the NAAC team expressed concern over the status of vacant posts in the university and that she will soon place the challenges of the university before the state govt and discuss the issue. Officials said institutions with A+ NAAC grade are eligible for special funding for research, startup incubation, digital infrastructure and innovation schemes from UGC and other agencies. "The university implemented NEP 2020 on priority and the registration process of students in ABC ID has been started along with admission. Many value-added courses and skill enhancement courses have been implemented in the university in the interest of students. In future, there is a plan to start new employment-oriented courses with the aim of working in collaboration with the industries," said the Kateja.
