NAAC reforms based of 2024 - New accreditation

27/11/2024 Dr. Ashok Mhaske 1
NAAC Reforms 2024
Dr. Ashok Mhaske

Observation with Accreditation
System..

Indian _Accreditation System
• Data collection exercise and requirement is voluminous and time consuming
• Concerns on subjectivity in the processes, and inconsistencies between assessment.
• PT composition lack balance
• Promoting unhealthy competition and was being used as a marketing tool.
• Many HEIs are not interested in or motivated to participate in the accreditation
process.
• The accreditation system is not in sync with global standards and best practices.
• Institutes were appointing Consultants and were sometimes resorting to data
manipulations to get higher grades.

Global _Practice on accreditation
• Accreditation is mandatory
• Binary
• Outcomes are measured
• Survey tool for verification
• All data in public domain

In News
Hon. Chairman NAAC …

Let us understand …

• The National Education Policy 2020 of Government of India proposed
that the accreditation system shall cover all the HEIs by developing
and using appropriately different and relevant norms across the range of
HEIs.

• Consequently, as per the approved recommendations of the Dr. Radhakrishnan
Committee:
• A. In the first stage, Binary accreditation process has been taken up and
the same is in the final stage of consultations with relevant stakeholders.
The scheme details will be announced before 30th June 2024.

Committee:
• Interested HEIs who are not accredited may apply for binary
accreditation from July 2024. Those who are already accredited shall
continue to hold the levels with the grade till its validity exists and may
apply for Maturity Based Graded Levels (MBGL) from January 2025.

Committee:
• HEIs whose IIQA or SSR applications are under process in the present
methodology (RAF) may opt for Binary accreditation but not later than
31 August 2024 if they wish to do so. Such HEIs may also opt for
MBGL to be launched in January 2025

Committee:
• HEIs are permitted to submit their IIQA and/or SSR as per the present
methodology (RAF) until 30th June 2024.

Committee:
• HEIs with valid grade as per the present accreditation methodology
(RAF) whose validity is expiring between 30 June 2024 and date of
launch of MBGL shall be extended till the launch of MBGL

Salient features of Committee

Binary Accreditation

Binary System
• Giving an either accredited or not accredited tag instead of grades to
encourage all institutions to get on-boarded in the accreditation
process, thereby creating a quality culture in the higher education system

Reforms _ Binary Accreditation
• It is in line with the accreditation system, which is in line with the best
practices followed globally.
• The binary accreditation system will have some minimum standards
and benchmarks that HEIs have to meet to get accredited
• To make it more inclusive following which they will be categorized as –
• Accredited
• Non – Accredited

Three Pivotal Areas…
• INPUT
• PROCESS
• OUTPUT

Ten Foundational Metrics

Input Metric
• Fundamental resources
• Necessary groundwork in place to support high quality education
• Curriculum
• Faculty
• Infrastructure
• Financial resource

Process Metrics
• Evaluate the active application of input in education delivery system
• Teaching methodologies
• Faculty student interactions
• Research Initiatives
• Administrative processes

Output Metrics
• Results of educational processes
• Academic achievements
• Research impact
• Student Employability
• Societal contribution

The weightage for
Input will be 25%
Process and Output will be 75%

The new system is not easier and
is more complex

Reforms -MBGA
• Additionally HEI will be assessed based on a Maturity Based Graded
Accreditation (MBGA) system
• Comprising of 1 to 5 levels
• 1-4 will signify institutions of National Excellence
• 5 will denote institute of Global Excellence for Multi Disciplinary Research and
Education
• There will be yardsticks / parameters which will be decided by a set of committees soon
• HEI needs to Qualify these benchmarks for different levels of accreditations.
• The credibility of these levels will be much higher than the existing accreditation system

Expected benefits
• Positioning higher education Institution better , both nationally and
globally
• Making the system more inclusive – increasing the bandwidth to have all
institutions come forward to seek accreditation

• Enabling higher education institutions to have the choice to seek
Program Specific assessment which will enable students to ascertain the
highly graded programs.
• Helping students make informed decisions about the institutions where
they are likely to seek admission

• Recognizing heterogenicity of higher education institutions by
categorizing them based on their orientation / vision and heritage /
legacy rather than the prevalent one size fits all model.

Recent Newspaper Updates

• The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is taking
help from AI for its accreditation process, which is changing from
September this year.
• Under Binary Accreditation system, where there is no human
intervention, AI technology will be used to read the reliability of
details/data submitted by higher education institutions across the nation.

• Director of NAAC, Prof Ganesan Kannabiran explained that in case of
any suspicion over the data submitted by the institutions, the NAAC will
use stake holders’ crowd sourcing through AI technology. “This will
be in the second stage. First stage of Binary Accreditation is gathering
the data. In case if suspicion over the data we will approach people
connected with the organisation by picking them automatically,”
explained the director.

• A ready questionnaire will be shared with people connected to
institutions. “Mainly, the questionnaire will be sent to faculties and
students. These are the people associated with the institutions and the
data will be gathered from the details provided by the institutions
themselves during self assessment,” he said. The NAAC will create a test
score from the data collected from the stake holders and the same will
compared with the details submitted by the institutions.

• In the existing process of accreditation, a peer team visits the institutions
to verify the self assessment done by the institutions. “We will do
physical verification only if needed, in exceptional cases” said the
director. To make the stakeholders understand the Binary Accreditation
system, the NAAC is organising workshops. The first workshop was
done recently in Bengaluru.

• According to the Ministry of Human Resource Development,
there are 1,284 universities, 50,577 colleges, and 13,921
institutions in India. Since 2015, it has been mandatory for
institutions to obtain NAAC accreditation to be eligible
for central funding.
Consequently, many colleges are keen to secure NAAC
accreditation.

• Previously, a peer team would visit colleges to review the
criteria set by NAAC, and colleges would submit their self-
assessment scores to NAAC. With the new system, colleges
will perform self-assessments and send their reports directly
to NAAC. The data will then be reviewed using AI
technology, and colleges will only be asked to provide
additional information if there is any suspicion or
discrepancy.

• “It will be known exactly how colleges have progressed in
which field and in what way. This shift to AI technology
promises a more precise, transparent, and efficient
accreditation process, ensuring that institutions meet the
required standards for central funding and overall educational
quality,” said Prof Ganesan Kannabiran, Director of NAAC.

• In the coming months, NAAC will conduct five regional workshops
to gather feedback from universities and colleges on the Binary
Accreditation manual before its official launch. Also, NAAC plans to
engage with Higher Education Departments and Councils across states
to ensure widespread participation in the new accreditation process.

• The proposed framework aims to reduce cycle time, lower accreditation
fees, and eliminate the need for physical peer team visits. Data validation,
primarily quantitative, will be conducted by the institutions to ensure
objectivity and correctness in assessments. The framework includes 59
metrics for universities, 56 for autonomous colleges, and 46 for
affiliated colleges. NAAC has also developed discipline-specific
manuals for fields such as law, health sciences, and management
to meet their specific requirements.

Actions to be taken by higher
education institution

New guidelines will be
available soon …

One Data platform….
Consolidated as per Expected targets_ Outcomes
Faculty / Student involvement
Stake holder representation

IQAC _
Driving and monitoring Unit
Operational

-Policies by Universities
-Targets for institutions as per bench
marks ??

Curriculum re-developement

• Outcome-based Design: Revise the curriculum to ensure that it aligns
with outcome-based educational goals, focusing on skill development
and employability.
• Flexibility and Inclusivity: Integrate options for dual degrees, online
courses, and lifelong learning pathways to cater to a diverse student
population.
• Continuous Review: Establish a regular curriculum review process
involving stakeholders such as industry experts, alumni, and students to
ensure relevance and responsiveness to market demands.

Infrastructure Enhancements

• Modernization of Facilities: Upgrade physical and digital
infrastructure to support advanced teaching methodologies and research.
• Accessibility Improvements: Ensure that all facilities are accessible to
differently-abled individuals, complying with global standards for
inclusivity.
• Sustainability Initiatives: Invest in green technologies and sustainable
practices to reduce the carbon footprint and promote environmental
stewardship.

Faculty Development Programs:

• Professional Growth: Implement continuous professional development
(CPD) programs to keep faculty updated with the latest teaching tools
and subject knowledge.
• Research Support: Provide grants and sabbaticals to encourage faculty
to engage in meaningful research that enhances the institution's academic
profile.
• Mentorship and Leadership Training: Develop mentorship programs
to cultivate leadership skills among faculty members, preparing them for
future administrative roles.

Reinvigoration of Research
Culture

• Funding and Resources: Allocate more resources to research activities,
including state-of-the-art labs and access to international journals and
collaborations.
• Interdisciplinary Projects: Encourage interdisciplinary and
collaborative research projects that address societal challenges, aligning
with global research trends.
• Commercialization Support: Establish incubation centres to facilitate
the commercialization of research, fostering innovation and
entrepreneurship.

Enhanced Student Services

• Career Services: Expand and enhance career services to provide
students with internship opportunities, job placements, and career
counselling.
• Student Well-being: Introduce comprehensive support systems for
mental health, including counselling services and wellness programs.
• Extracurricular Activities: Promote a balanced approach to student
development through support for sports, arts, and cultural activities.

Governance and Compliance

• Transparent Systems: Implement transparent systems for governance
and accountability, including clear policies and procedures that are
accessible to all stakeholders.
• Quality Assurance: Establish robust internal quality assurance
mechanisms to continuously monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of
educational processes.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Regularly engage with all stakeholders,
including students, faculty, and the community, to ensure that the
institution remains responsive to their needs and aspirations.

Strategic Planning and Risk
Management

• Long-term Vision: Develop a long-term strategic plan that aligns with
the anticipated standards of NAAC and addresses future educational
challenges.
• Risk Assessment: Conduct thorough risk assessments to identify
potential challenges in meeting accreditation standards and devise
strategies to mitigate these risks.

Summary
• NAAC reforms represent a strategic realignment with global educational
trends, emphasizing quality, accountability and outcome based approaches.
• NIRF and NBA will adjust their own criteria and timelines to align with the
new NAAC standards.
• The Challenge lies in aligning the well established processes with new
criteria without disrupting their academic ecosystem.
• This proactive approach will not only satisfy accreditation requirements but
also position the institutions as leaders in the evolving landscape of global
higher education.
This proactive approach will not only satisfy accreditation requirements but also position the institutions as leaders in the evolving landscape of global higher education.

NAAC reforms based of 2024 - New accreditation

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