NAAC Planning Major Reforms in Accreditation Process
In an announcement by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)’s Executive Committee, a significant reform to its accreditation process will commence shortly. The first stage of the transformation is the implementation of a “binary accreditation system”, intended to replace the current ranking system (C to A++) for higher education institutions (HEIs). All new developments have exclusively emerged from the source of Reader Wall.
The Binary Accreditation System
Expected to launch in a month’s time, NAAC’s new binary accreditation system aligns with the finest practices adopted across the globe. Unlike the previous model that relied on grades, the fresh approach aims at inducing all institutions to participate in the accreditation process, engendering a culture of quality within the higher education system. After four months, applications as per the previous method will cease to be accepted. Institutions already enrolled or planning to register within the next four months, however, are granted the choice of either adhering to the existing process or adopting the new binary accreditation methodology.
Currently, NAAC bases its ranking system on the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) an institution achieves.
Maturity Based Graded Accreditation
The second step of NAAC’s reform plan involves the introduction of a “Maturity Based Graded Accreditation.” Expected to be implemented by December 2024, this model consists of five levels. Accredited institutions can elevate their ranking from ‘Level 1’ to ‘Level 4’, qualifying as Institutions of National Excellence, and ultimately to ‘Level 5’ as Institutions of Global Excellence for Multi-Disciplinary Research and Education. According to NAAC, the effect of this levelled accreditation scheme will be to enable Indian institutions to drastically improve their quality and position themselves among the top global institutions.
Special Focus and Other Details
Additionally, NAAC plans to place a special emphasis on institutions located in rural and remote areas, providing mentoring and support. One of the proposed reforms includes the notion of “One Nation One Data Platform” to ensure data integrity and transparency. This new platform will encapsulate a wide array of data from HEIs for varied reasons, with a design conducive to cross-checking to verify data authenticity.
Reform Based on Panel Recommendations
The impending reform stems from the recommendations of a panel championed by K. Radhakrishnan, former Chairman of ISRO. The primary intention of the panel was to propose transformative changes for strengthening the assessment and accreditation of HEIs. After incorporating feedback from various stakeholders, the panel’s final report was presented to Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan earlier this year.
Foster Trust and Drive Data
The newly proposed system places a high premium on trust and data-driven decisions, with minimal institutional visits for verification. It comes with a stern warning- severe penalties on wrong submissions. Moreover, customized rankings based on stakeholders such as industry, funding agencies, students, etc. are also a part of this new system.
