With nearly three-fourth of higher education institutions in Kerala still lacking accreditation, the State Level Quality Assurance Cell (SLQAC) is set to launch a campaign to ensure these institutions achieve NAAC accreditation under the new framework that is set to be launched across the country.
Official statistics indicate that 334 higher education institutions have obtained NAAC accreditation in the State, including six universities, 27 government, 159 government aided, 98 self-financing, and 44 engineering colleges. Among these, two universities and 29 government aided and two self-financing colleges have obtained A++ accreditation. Roughly 2,000 institutions are estimated to operate in the State, sources said.
The SLQAC, functioning under the Higher Education department, will assist all higher education institutions in the State in attaining NAAC accreditation. A robust action plan will be developed to ensure assessment and accreditation across universities and colleges.
“To achieve this, it was decided to strengthen the existing Internal Quality Assurance Cells (IQACs) within the institutions and conduct extensive training programmes aimed at cultivating a culture of quality assessment,” SLQAC Kerala Director M.A. Lal said.
Binary process
The SLQAC is expected to roll out a special initiative to train all stakeholders, including institutions, teachers, IQAC coordinators, students, administrators and managements, on the new accreditation framework that is soon expected to be introduced by NAAC.
The national accreditation agency will reportedly launch a binary process under which institutions would be accredited under a basic accreditation methodology initially. Such institutions can then opt for maturity-based graded accreditation based on various parameters.
All-India conclave
The first executive council meeting of SLQAC, held recently, also resolved to organise an all-India conclave with the participation of various SLQACs from across the country. The national meet will showcase best practices from different states, enhance understanding of India’s quality benchmarks in higher education and present Kerala’s model at the national level.
It was also decided to honour institutions of high academic excellence, particularly those that secured NAAC A++, A+, A grades and high ranks in the NIRF India rankings.
Sharmila Mary Joseph, Principal Secretary, Higher Education department, and SLQAC Kerala vice-chairperson, presided over the meeting. NAAC advisor Devendra Kawde, State Planning Board member Jiju P. Alex, Director of Collegiate Education K. Sudheer, Director of Technical Education Jayaprakash P., and former Vice-Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit M. V. Narayanan were among those who participated.
