CHAPTERS CRITERIA FOR ASSESSING THE HEIs BY NAAC A DISCUSSION 5.1 INTRODUCTION India runs one of the largest systems of higher education in the world with complex nature, catering to diverse needs. The importance of assessment for quality assurance in the HEIs has become prominent globally since the late 20th century. Variations in standard and quality are natural outcomes. Hence the NAAC was set up in 1994 under the UGC Act to ensure quality in the HEIs. It is an autonomous body of the UGC with the prime agenda of assessment and accreditation of HEIs in the country. The NAAC has been continuously engaged in the promotion of quality in HEIs in the country, making a significant difference in the Higher Education System in India. 5.2 MAJOR REASONS FOR OPTING FOR ASSESSMENT AND ACCREDITATION BY NAAC Recognition of the quality of excellence of the HEIs Self-improvement Building the institutional image and attract students from different places International recognition Insistence on accreditation by the state governments 47
Incentives from the government and other funding agencies Pre-condition for getting the Autonomous/Deemed University status or permanent affiliation status 5.3 APPREHENSIONS ABOUT NAAC ASSESSMENT Fear of the unknown Fear of not getting the desired accreditation status Lack of enthusiasm on the part of management and staff to take up the preparation work Reservations about the assessment of quality by an external agency Belief that one can ignore the process as it is not a mandatory activity at present 5.4 NAAC s RELATIONSHIP WITH THE IIEIs NAAC s relationship with the HEIs is based on the following understanding: 1. Recognition that institutional and programme quality assurance is primarily the responsibility of the HEIs themselves 2. Respect for the academic autonomy, identity and integrity of the institutions and/or their programmes 3. Application of standards or criteria that have been subject to reasonable consultation with stakeholders 4. Aiming to contribute to both quality improvement and accountability by the institution The process of assessment and accreditation has created a tremendous momentum among the academia on issues pertaining to quality and this has largely been due to the successful partnership between the NAAC and the State Governments. 48
5.5 OBJECTIVES OF NAAC1 1. To grade HEIs and their programmes 2. To stimulate the academic environment and quality of teaching and research in these institutions 3. To help institutions realize their academic objectives 4. To promote necessary changes, innovations and reforms in all aspects of the institutions working for the above purpose 5. To encourage innovations, self evaluation and accountability in higher education 5.6 NAAC s VALUE FRAMEWORK2 The NAAC aims to promote the following core values among the HEIs of the country: Contributing to national development Fostering global competencies among students Inculcating a value system in students Promoting the use of technology Quest for excellence 5.7 STRUCTURE OF NAAC 3 The NAAC s working is governed by the General Council (GC) and the Executive Committee (EC) on which UGC, AICTE, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Association of Indian Universities (AIU), universities, colleges and other 1 www.naacindia.org 2 ibid. 3 ibid. 49
professional institutions are represented. Senior academics and educational administrators are nominated as members on these two bodies. 5.8 ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES The prime agenda of the NAAC is to assess and accredit HEIs. It has continuous collaborations with the state governments by establishing Quality Assurance Cell (QAC) and State Level Quality Assurance Coordination Committee (SLQACC) in each state. This QAC primarily focuses on the preparation of the colleges to undergo the processes of assessment and accreditation. Many quality improvement programmes have been organized jointly by NAAC and QACs of the states4. NAAC activities may be viewed at two levels: Awareness programmes on Assessment and Accreditation Post-accreditation programmes The awareness/promotional programmes mainly explain the policy, direction and Guidelines of the MHRD, UGC and NAAC for assessment and accreditation. The post- accreditation activities on quality sustenance and quality enhancement are by means of Student Participation in Quality Assurance (SPQA), sharing of Best Practices for Quality Enhancement (BPQE) and establishing a functional Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) in each accredited college/university5. The NAAC also constantly review its mechanisms, procedures and methodology. In addition to this, the NAAC brings out quality publications in collaboration with international agencies and undertakes research projects funded by external agencies and the NAAC s academic staff members participate in such programmes. It regularly interacts with the international and national quality assurance agencies for sharing and exchange of knowledge, experience and practices. 4 Seven Point Action Plan of SLQACC (2007) 5 Ten Action Points for Internal Quality Assurance Cells (2007) 50
Every category of stakeholders of higher education (e.g., govemment(s), managements, students, external quality assurance agencies, etc.) has a role to play in quality enhancement and sustenance. The NAAC strives to play a catalytic role in synergizing the stakeholders efforts. Of all the stakeholders, the students have a unique role to play in ensuring the quality of HEIs. An initiation has been made by the NAAC in this direction by developing a sample Student Charter for all HEIs. It is hoped that the charter will help HEIs articulate their obligations to learners in clear terms and that can be used as a benchmark for an HEI s accountability to learners. The NAAC advocates the public display of students charter in every institution as an act of promotion of students participation in Quality Assurance6. 5.9 NEW METHODOLOGY7 All professional organizations undergo a review cycle to assess their performance from time to time. The NAAC has been continuously making efforts to fine tune the instruments of assessment to achieve greater objectivity and accuracy in its assessment process and declaring the assessment outcome to enable an HEI to assure quality. Processes included in the new assessment and accreditation instrument are: To identify the key aspects under each criterion (mentioned below in Table 2) and appropriate assessment indicators under each key aspect (mentioned below in Table 3) To provide for key aspect-wise and criterion-wise differential weightages for different types of institutions To change the grading pattern from the 9-point scale to the 3-letter grades, i.e., A, B and C for accredited institutions and D for not accredited ones. As per the changed grading system: A very good 6 www.naacindia.org 7 Institutional Accreditation Manual for Self-Study: Affiliated/Constituent Colleges (w.e.f. 1st April 2007); ibid. 51
B good C satisfactory D unsatisfactory To use appropriate descriptors related to the quality levels coupled with the letter grades To shift the institutional overall scoring pattern from the scores/percentages to the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) System on a 4-point scale as shown in below in Table 1. TABLE 1 CGPA Letter Grade Performance Descriptor 3.01-4.00 A Very Good (Accredited) 2.01-3.00 B Good (Accredited) 1.51-2.00 C Satisfactory (Accredited) <1.50 D Unsatisfactory (Not Accredited) The different criteria along with their weightages are given in the Table2 below TABLE 2 Serial Criteria Affiliated/Constituent Number College 1 Curricular Aspects 50 (5%) 2 Teaching-Learning and 450 Evaluation (45%) 3 Research, Consultancy and 100 Extension (10%) 4 Infrastructure and Learning 100 Resources (10%) 5 Student Support and 100 Progression (10%) 52
Serial Criteria Affiliated/Constituent Number College 6 Governance and Leadership 150 (15%) 7 Innovative Practices 50 (5%) Total Score 1000 The Key Aspects and the Key Aspect-wise differential Weightages under each criterion are also specified as detailed in Table 3 below. TABLE 3 Criteria Key Aspects Affiliated College I. Curricular 1.1 Curricular Design and 10 Aspects Development 1.2 Academic Flexibility 15 1.3 Feedback on Curriculum 10 1.4 Curriculum Update 05 1.5 Best Practices in Curricular 10 Aspects Total 50 2.1 Admission Process and 30 Student Profile II. Teaching- 2.2 Catering to Diverse Needs 45 Learning and 2,3 Teaching-learning Process 270 Evaluation 2.4 Teacher Quality 65 2.5Evaluation Process and 30 Reforms 2.6Best Practices in Teaching, 10 Learning and Evaluation Total 450 53
Criteria Key Aspects Affiliated College III. Research, Consultancy and Extension IV. Infrastructure and Learning Resources V. Student Support and Progression VI. Governance and Leadership 3.1 Promotion of Research 15 3 ^Research and Publication 25 Output 3.3 Consultancy 05 3.4 Extension Activities 40 3.5 Collaborations 05 3.6 Best Practices in Research, 10 Consultancy & extension Total 100 4.1 Physical Facilities 20 4.2 Maintenance of Infrastructure 10 4.3 Library as a Learning 35 Resource 4.4 ICT as Learning Resources 15 4.5 Other Facilities 10 4.6 Best Practices in the 10 Development of Infrastructure and Learning Resources TOTAL 100 5.1 Student Progression 30 5.2 Student Support 30 5.3 Student Activities 30 5.4 Best Practices in Student 10 Support and Progression TOTAL 100 6.1 Institutional Vision and 15 Leadership 6.2 Organizational Arrangements 20 6.3 Strategy Development and 30 Deployment 54
Criteria Key Aspects Affiliated College VI. 6.4 Human resource Management 40 Governance 6.5 Financial Management and 35 and Leadership Resource Mobilization 6.6 Best Practices in Governance 10 and Leadership TOTAL 150 VII. 7!l Internal Quality Assurance 20 Innovative Practices System 7.2 Inclusive Practices 15 7.3 Stakeholder Relationships 15 TOTAL 50 The status of institutions accredited under current methodology as on December 30, 2009 is given below in Table 4. TABLE 4 Types Of HEIs Accredited Re-accredited Universities 12 35 Colleges 556 126 (Source: NAACNEWS, Vol X, Issue!, March 2010) From the above table, it is seen that there are 12 accredited universities and 35 reaccredited universities in India. Again, there are 556 accredited colleges and 126 reaccredited colleges in India. 5-10 INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE CELL fioac)8 The NAAC advocates the establishment of IQ AC by all the accredited institutions as a post-accreditation quality sustenance activity. The primary aim of IQAC is to develop a system for conscious, consistent and catalytic action to improve the 8 Ten Action Points for Internal Quality Assurance Cells (2007); www.naacindia.org 55
academic and administrative performance of the institution. It is expected to contribute: to a heightened level of clarity and to focus on institutional functioning towards quality enhancement and to facilitate internalization of the quality culture to the enhancement of, and integration among, the various activities of the institution and to the institutionalization of many good practices to provide a sound basis for decision-making to improve institutional functioning to act as a change agent in the institution to better internal communication 5.11 INSTITUTIONAL ELIGIBILITY FOR QUALITY ASSESSMENT9 So far, the NAAC has conducted 10 meetings of Committee for Recommendation of Institutional Eligibility for Quality Assessment (CRIEQA) from April 01, 2007. Out of 1203 institutions across the country, which have applied for getting IEQA status, 840 institutions (70%) have been recommended to go for assessment and accreditation (A & A) and 363 institutions (30%) have been declared as Not Recommended and these have been advised to take corrective measures. The regionwise break-up of IEQA status of all the institutions in India is shown below in Table5. TABLE5 Region-wise Break-up of IEQA Status of Institutions as on November 30,2009 Region No. of institutions applied No. of institutions recommended No. of institutions not recommended North 368 246 122 South 190 165 25 East & North- Eastern 194 141 53 9 Ten Action Points for Internal Quality Assurance Cells (2007); www.naacindia.org 56
Region-wise Break-up of IEQA Status of Institutions as on November 30,2009 West 451 288 163 Total 1203 840 363 (70%) (30%) (Source: NAACNEWS, VolX, Issue 1, March 2010) Fro the above it is seen that out of 363 ineligible institutions, 45% of them are from Western region followed by Northern region (34%) and East & North-Eastern region (15%). Southern region has a low percentage (6%) of ineligible institutions 5.12 FUTURE PRACTICES 1. Implementation of the new (A&A) methodology 2. Assessment to cover all HEIs of the country in a phased manner 3. Department/Programme-wise accreditation and international accreditation 4. Benchmarking and new ranking model 5. NAAC associateship and fellowship 6. Promotion of IQACs in all colleges and universities 7. Dissemination of best practices amongst HEIs 8. Development of a pool of trained assessors 9. Promotion of in house research on quality assurance 10. NAAC s capacity building The NAAC has been continuously fine-tuning its A & A methodologies to reach out to the target institutions, to achieve notable recognition and wider acceptance. The methodologies have been fine-tuned from time to time considering the prevailing higher education scenario and feedback from different categories of stakeholders. It was an uphill task for the NAAC to take up the A & A of such a huge number of HEIs in India, as there was an initial unwillingness on the part of the institutions to go for assessment by an external agency. 57
The NAAC had to devise strategies and work round hard to create quality culture among all the stakeholders. It required great commitment and conviction on the part of the NAAC staff to motivate the people in the higher echelons of decision making in the HEIs to appreciate the need for assessment and accreditation of the HEIs by an outside agency like the NAAC. Keeping in tune with its mission and vision, the NAAC has, at present, accredited more than 4000 HEIs10. It has a huge database of expert assessors on its panel and a good number of resource persons to spread quality culture among the HEIs, thereby, ushering in a systematic quality assurance mechanism in the entire higher education system. 10 NAAC NEWS, Vol X, Issue 1, March 2010 58
REFERENCES FOR CHAPTER 5 NAAC PUBLICATIONS 1. Institutional Accreditation Manual for Self-Study: Affiliated/Constituent Colleges (w.e.f. 1st April 2007) 2. NAAC NEWS (2010), X (1), March 3. Seven Point Action Plan ofslqacc (2007) 4. Ten Action Points for Internal Quality Assurance Cells (2007) WEBSITES VISITED (Last Accessed On March 31,2011) 1. www. naacindia. org 59