GUWAHATI, March 20 ? National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous body of the UGC and Government of India, has so far accredited only four institutions of higher education in the north eastern region out of the total 250 universities and colleges certified by it till date. Professor V Rajasekharan Pillai, the Director of NAAC, today informed that another lot of 1025 universities and colleges in the country were in the process of being accredited shortly.
The four institutions from the N-E which have been certified by NAAC are : Gauhati University; Science College, Jorhat; North Eastern Hill University, Shillong and St Anthony?s College, Shillong. The Director of NAAC stated that all the universities and colleges in the country must come forward for assessment as the UGC has made it mandatory. He said the deadline for assessment of performance of universities has been set for December, 2002 while the deadline for colleges has been fixed for December, 2003. The next UGC grant for these institutions in the Tenth Five Year Plan period will be linked to NAAC assessment. Obviously the institutions which fail to participate in the accreditation process would be blacklisted by the UGC and their grant in the next Plan period, may be suspended.
Considering the poor responses of colleges for the State to the accreditation process, the NAAC is organising an awareness-cum-sensitisation workshop for two days from tomorrow at the Academic Staff College in Gauhati University, for the benefit of principals of colleges of the State. Prof Pillai informed that the accreditation and recognition were two different aspects. Accreditation process was initiated to assess the performance of educational institutions of higher learning which were recognised at least five years back. The process of accreditation was meant not to find fault with the institutions, but to help them improve their quality of education. The institutions highly rated by NAAC will get preference as far as receiving UGC recognition for starting new courses and getting funds for new projects, are concerned. NAAC is encouraging colleges and universities to go for innovation in imparting education suiting the need and talent of their students.
So far all the universities of West Bengal and Karanataka have been accredited while the highest number of 60 colleges in Tamil Nadu have been accredited by the NAAC till date. Institutions participating in the accreditation process are required to submit a ?self-study? report on quality of education imparted in the institutions marking its, ?strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT)?. The self-study report after examination by a team of expects engaged by NAAC is validated and a copy of the validated report is provided to the heads of institutions recommending measures for improvement of standard of education, besides rating the institutions.