As August nears, the three-decade-old NAAC gradation system is being revised into a completely digital, more transparent and most importantly, simpler model.
Replacing the old framework of seven-point rating scales, institutions will now be marked only as either ‘Accredited’ or ‘Not Accredited’. The AI-based model will also have a more advanced maturity-based graded system.
In a conversation with NDTV, Professor Sahasrabudhe said that:
Until now, only 40 per cent of Indian universities and 18 per cent of colleges are accredited. With this reform, we target over 90 per cent of higher education institutions across the country in the next five years to come forward and get accredited. The earlier model assessed nearly 90 parameters, with 70 per cent supported by documented proof and 30 per cent evaluated through peer team visits. However, the visits often led to complications and concerns over credibility.
Thus, the revised model will essentially eliminate the need for physical visits for basic level assessments, and Institutions will be rated on credibility score and progressive evaluation levels.
A rotating panel of 100 stakeholders – including faculty, former vice-chancellors, industry professionals, and NGO representatives will be in charge of reviewing these documents. Each institute will start with a basic score of 0.5, and this will further progress based on the submitted documents. False submissions will result in a three-year ban from seeking accreditation.
Initially, the fear of not getting a good grade in the existing system had put off hundreds of institutions from applying for accreditation in the past, as reported by the Indian Express. Under the revised system, foreign institutions seeking to set up their campuses in India will also be eligible for NAAC accreditation. It will reportedly set a new standard measure for the stamp of guarantee of quality education. The existing five-year-longfive-year long process is also brought down to just three years.
Professor Sahasrabudhe further added that:
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.
Though an institute already offering high-quality education can directly apply to a higher level, skipping the need to follow this long process. 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 in his address.
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Image Credits: DU Beat
Shreya Bhushan
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