Govt plans accreditation system overhaul
- The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) recently announced significant reforms in the accreditation system for higher education institutes.
Key Reforms
Binary Accreditation System
- Higher education institutions will now be categorised as either "Accredited" or "Not Accredited," eliminating the current grading system.
- "Not Accredited" includes two categories viz. "Awaiting Accreditation" and "Not Accredited," based on their compliance with standards.
- Awaiting Accreditation: Those institutes that nearly meet the requirements but need improvement
- Not Accredited: Those institutions that are far below the standards for accreditation.
- Introduces a maturity-based graded system for accredited institutions to progress from "level one" to "level five."
- Incentivizes improvement, with the ultimate goal of achieving "Institution of Global Excellence for Multi-Disciplinary Research and Education" status.
One Nation, One Data Platform
- A new public platform, "One Nation, One Data," will collect and display a comprehensive dataset from universities.
- Objective: To enhance transparency, credibility, and streamline processes such as permission, accreditation, and rating over time.
- Replaces the existing manual of assessment and accreditation where experts are responsible to visit campus and verify the data submitted.
- To ensure credibility of data, the platform will also have a built-in mechanism to cross-check the data’s veracity.
Future Implications for IITs
- There is uncertainty regarding whether IITs will be mandated to participate in the new accreditation system.
- The Radhakrishnan Committee had recommended that the IITs be brought under a unified accreditation process.
- Currently, IITs follow their internal systems for periodic evaluation and assessment of their programmes.
Prelims Takeaway
- National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)
- One Nation, One Data Platform
- University Grants Commission (UGC)