Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions in India

After independence the University Education Commission was set up in 1948 under the Chairmanship of Dr. S Radhakrishnan "to report on Indian university education and to suggest improvements and extensions that might be desirable to suit the present and future needs and aspirations of the country". It recommended that University Grants Committee be reconstituted on the general model of University Grants Commission of the United Kingdom with a full-time chairman and other members to be appointed from amongst educationists of repute. In 1952 the University Grants Commission (UGC) was formally inaugurated by late Shri Abul Kalam Azad, then Minister of Education, Natural Resources and Scientific Research on 28th December, 1953. However, a statutory body of the UGC was formally established in November, 1956 through an Act of Parliament for the Co-ordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education in India. National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) was established by the UGC in September, 1994 at Bangalore for evaluating the performance of the universities and colleges in the country. NAAC's mandate includes task of performance evaluation, assessment and accreditation of universities and colleges in the country. Accreditation facilitates institution to know its strength, weaknesses, and opportunities through an informed review process. The universities-Central, Private, State, Deemed-to-be and Institutions of National Importance and Colleges or institutions affiliated to, or constituent of, or recognized by university, including autonomous colleges are eligible for the process of Assessment and Accreditation of NAAC. The process for assessment and accreditation broadly consists of preparation of Self-Study Report (SSR), submission of Letter of Intent (LOI), submission of institutional eligibility for quality assessment and submission of Hard Copies of SSR. The Peer-Team consisting of three persons, a chairman, member Coordinator and a member visits the institution and submits on-site visit report. NAAC has identified seven criteria to serve as the basis of its assessment procedures. The NAAC has assigned different weightages to these criteria with the total weightage of 1000. Institutions are graded under for categories viz. A, B, C and D denoting Very Good, Good, Satisfactory and Unsatisfactory levels respectively. The accreditation status is valid for five years from the date of approval by the Executive Committee of NAAC. The institutions undergo the re-accreditation process after five years.