Accreditation of HEIs in India:

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Accreditation of HEIs in India The NAAC
Experience
Prof. V. S. Prasad Director National Assessment
and Accreditation Council (NAAC) Bangalore India
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Quality Assurance in Indian HE

• Regulatory System UGC, State Governments,
  Affiliating Universities
• Over and above the built-in regulatory controls
• - Assessment and Accreditation
• NAAC (General Education)
• NBA (Technical Education)
• AB (Agricultural Education)

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• National Assessment and Accreditation Council
  (NAAC)
• Outcome of National Policy on Education - 1986
• Established by the University Grants Commission
  (UGC) of India in 1994
• As an Autonomous Body
• Governed by its Executive Committee (EC) and
  General Council (GC)
• Representatives from the organizations such as
  MHRD, UGC and institutions of HE in its EC GC

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Vision

• To make quality the defining element of
• higher education in India through a
• combination of self and external quality
• evaluation, promotion and sustenance
• initiatives.

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Mission

• To arrange for periodic assessment and
  accreditation of institutions of higher education
  or units thereof, or specific academic programmes
  or projects
• To stimulate the academic environment for
  promotion of quality of teaching-learning and
  research in higher education institutions
• To encourage self-evaluation, accountability,
  autonomy and innovations in higher education
• To undertake quality-related research studies,
  consultancy and training programmes, and
• To collaborate with other stakeholders of higher
  education for quality evaluation, promotion and
  sustenance

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Value Framework of Quality

• Relating to National Development
• Fostering Global Competencies among students
• Inculcating the Value System
• Promoting the use of Technology
• Quest for Excellence

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Units of Accreditation

• Institutional Accreditation
• Subject Accreditation/Programme Accreditation

Phase I Institutional Accreditation
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Methodology

• Nationally evolved criterion
• Preparation of self-study report by the
  institution to be submitted to NAAC
• Validation of the above by
• Peer team visit to the institution
• Final decision by EC, NAAC based on the peer team
  report

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Criteria for Assessment and Weightages
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The grade
Institutional score Grade (upper limit
exclusive) 95-100 A 90-95 A 85-90 A
80-85 B 75-80 B 70-75 B 65-70 C
60-65 C 55-60 C
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Reporting Strategy

• Peer Team Recommendations to NAAC on
• Criterion-wise strengths and weaknesses
• Overall analysis
• Confidential Scores
• After approval by EC of NAAC
• Public disclosure of outcome
• Full assessment report in the website

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Policy Initiatives

• Support of UGC for accreditation cost
• Linking assessment with development grant
• Fixing deadline for all HEIs to undergo
  assessment
• States active in promoting assessment
• Action Plan and Steering Committees in States
• Other indirect and informal considerations

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Progress of a Decade From Apprehension to
Appreciation

• Reaching Out
• Quality Promotion
• Professional Development of Assessors
• Research on EQA
• Interaction with Professional Bodies
• Accreditation of Teacher Education Units
• International Collaboration
• Launching Re-accreditation

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Concerns

• Large volume assessment
• Inter-team variance
• Lack of convergence (mismatch) between
  public perception and NAAC grades
• Professionalization of the process
• Sustenance of Quality

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Response

• Fast track assessment
• ICT enabled procedures
• New models of using Member Coordinators and
  Chair-conveners
• Expanding database of assessors
• More training programmes and orientations for
  assessors
• Appeals Committee
• Internal Quality Assurance Mechanisms

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Second Decade of NAAC Into Future

• Initiating ICT enabled assessment
• Piloting subject or programme accreditation
• Collaborating with other professional
  councils for assessment and accreditation
• Provision for professional development
  programmes for assessors
• Launching a professional journal in quality
  assurance

Contd
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Continues

• Establishing functional units for research and
  training
• Promotion of Best Practices in Higher
  Education
• Extending consultancy to the emerging quality
  assurance systems
• Launching accreditation of cross-border
  educational provisions
• Promoting Quality literacy among stakeholders

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• Thank You