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Monitoring of autonomous colleges is essential to control malpractices
Monitoring of autonomous colleges is essential to control malpractices | Education Times | Aditya Wadhawan | Posted January 25, 2024 | The former parent university should be involved in the evaluation and examination processes of an autonomous college which was affiliated to university in the past |
The Indian Society for Technical Universities (ISTU) lodged a complaint with the University Grants Commission (UGC) about the provision made on affiliation fee for the engineering colleges that acquired autonomous status. In the revised guidelines on autonomy to the colleges, issued by UGC mentions that once the college gets an autonomous status, it is not required to pay the annual affiliation fee to the parent university. This provision has not gone down well with ISTU as after the affiliated college gets autonomy, students continue to get the degree from the parent university. Furthermore, the ISTU members are resentful that the autonomous colleges device their own examination evaluation process but opt for the degree from parent university. This, says ISTU leads to malpractices in the college proceedings, which is detrimental to students. Speaking to Education Times, MK Verma, president, ISTU, says, “Giving autonomous status to engineering colleges is a welcome step, but permitting them to not pay affiliation fee to their erstwhile parent university is not a progressive move. Also, if the parent university is not involved in conducting the exams and evaluation processes, the autonomous college may resort to malpractices which ultimately leads to degradation of quality and standards of education. The kind of third-party evaluation should be allowed which will maintain the sanctity of the degree that students receive after course completion.” The ISTU demands that even after the affiliated college becomes autonomous, the university should be involved in the process of exam evaluation, says Verma.
ISTU is an association of all government-run technical universities, which promotes best teaching practices, research activities among the member universities by sharing their policies, schemes, and related initiatives. Several cases have come to the fore where autonomous engineering colleges have accepted money to allow students to sit in exams even if they have less than 75% attendance. Many colleges fail to have transparency in their exam and evaluation system, which questions the credibility. UGC in April 2023, presented guidelines on giving autonomy to institutions to raise their academic standards by customising their syllabi and adopting new examination practices. It further eased the rules for colleges to attain autonomous status. As per the new rules, any 10-year-old college with NAAC or NBA accreditation with an A grade is eligible to apply for autonomous status.
As per the revised UGC regulations, the autonomous colleges are not required to pay the affiliation fees to the parent university, but when contacted Joshi refused to comment on the issue of affiliation fees. However, a onetime fee can be paid to the parent university at the time of conferment of autonomous status which can be decided by the executive council of the parent university. Manish Ratnakar Joshi, secretary, UGC, says, “The autonomy is only granted to a private or a government college once the university to which they are affiliated, sends a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to UGC. If any university has an observation that the affiliated college has been violating the exam, evaluation, and admission norms, it can give negative remarks. There is an expert committee in UGC that deals with such cases and decides accordingly whether a college in question should be given autonomy or not. So far, we have just received one complaint regarding this matter.” Read More
UGC to conduct monthly online lectures on academic best practices
UGC to conduct monthly online lectures on academic best practices | The Telegraph | Our Correspondent | 23 Apr 2022 | One lecture every month will be conducted as a part of the UGC online lecture series. | Chetana- an Online Lecture Series |
The University Grants Commission (UGC) will conduct a year-long online lecture series on academic best practices for universities and higher education institutions in India starting April 27, it stated in a circular.
In a letter addressed to vice-chancellors of universities and principals of colleges, Rajnish Jain, secretary, UGC has stated, “A common factor among well performing higher education institutions is the unique practices they follow in instruction, research and extension. Recognising the importance of best practices in higher education and with a view to take such practices to all universities and colleges across the country, the UGC is organising a year-long lecture series with a lecture every month.” The first lecture in the series will be conducted by Govindan Rangarajan, director, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore on ‘Academic Best Practices: Some Case Studies’ at 10:30 am. Rangarajan obtained an Integrated MSc (Hons) degree from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, and a PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA.
He then worked at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab, University of California, Berkeley, before returning to India in 1992. He has been a faculty member of the Department of Mathematics, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), since 1992. Jain has directed the faculty members and students to join this online lecture series. The lectures will be webcasted on UGC’s official Twitter handle @UGC_india and YouTube channel. LECTURE ON ACADEMIC BEST PRACTICES : SOME CASE STUDIES on 27.04.22 / – Courtesy – UGC Channel on Youtube
NAAC, NIRF rankings meaningless. Institutes need to develop brand equity: Former UGC Vice-Chairman H Devaraj
NAAC, NIRF rankings meaningless. Institutes need to develop brand equity: Former UGC Vice-Chairman H Devaraj | Prajanma Das | Edex Live | 23rd January 2020 | Opinion |
He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also asked him about the NAAC grades and he had to reply honestly even though he had been the chairman of NAAC at one point.
Mangat Ram Sharma, Principal Secretary, State Higher Education Dept with MOP Vaishnav College Principal Lalitha Balakrishnan and Former UGC Vice-Chairman Dr H Devaraj at the Conclave |Pic: D Sampath K
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grades and National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings are “meaningless” and are not the only good markers of quality education, said Former Vice-Chairman of the University Grants Commission, Dr H Devaraj while speaking at the National Level Education Administrators Conclave at the MOP Vaishnav College For Women in Chennai. The central theme of the Conclave was to discuss the way forward for the Indian institutions to be included in the list of top 200 institutions worldwide. In a startlingly candid statement, Dr Devaraj said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also asked him about the NAAC grades and he had to reply honestly. “He asked me if I could compare Amity University with Jawaharlal Nehru University — both have the same NAAC grade. But they are not on par. I had to say the fact. Recognition should come from the people. NIRF is also meaningless,” he said and emphasised that each institution should develop its brand equity. Devaraj had served as NAAC Chairman in 2014-15.
He asked Mangat Ram Sharma, Principal Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Higher Education Department, who was also present at the inaugural session, to make sure that only good teachers are selected. “I think we need to change the selection process. Everywhere I go, across the country, they (institutions) show me the gadgets they use or the AC rooms and hi-tech additions they have made recently. But they don’t show me the human resource — the teacher, who is an important component of the education system and is going to be there for the next 30 years. If we make one mistake (in selecting the right teacher) now it will reflect in the next 30 generations,” said the professor who was the Head of the Department of Biotechnology at University of Madras before he joined as the Vice-Chairman of the UGC. He emphasised the need for teachers and students to bond over their academics as the way to effective learning, “The teachers need to connect with the students — not just the toppers but with the backbenchers as well. There is something called the focal length of the students. A teacher needs to recognise that and help the students focus better. A teacher is a permanent student who needs to learn their entire life,” he added.
Mangat Ram Sharma too, while delivering his keynote address, agreed that the quality of teachers in a large number of higher education institutions is “pathetic”. “When we were promoting people for the Career Advancement Scheme of the UGC, most of the associate or assistant professors would come with bulky reports but had no publications in good journals. We are trying to bring a system into force that will allow the VCs and academicians to select the teachers instead of the teacher recruitment board, which is in itself a low-profile committee,” he said. “We have the numbers when it comes to universities. We need to enhance their quality — the good mixture of our conservative value standards with modern technology. Autonomous institutions like MOP Vaishnav show that it definitely pays off. Whenever we sit down for a meeting with VCs they always say that autonomy is good. And we agree. But as the head of the institutions are they giving their faculty that autonomy? No. Even for a project approved by the UGC or the DST has to be cleared by the VC. That has to change. Lack of internal autonomy can kill creativity as well,” said Sharma. He also added that we need younger VCs to connect better with the Gen-Y and understand their requirements better. – Courtesy
6,000 institutes must finish accreditation by 2022, says AICTE
6,000 institutes must finish accreditation by 2022, says AICTE | Live Mint | 18 Sep 2019 |
- Colleges will not be allowed to offer courses if they fail to complete the accreditation, says AICTE
- Top technical schools will be provided financial support to help others in achieving the goal, the ministry has said
Around 6,000 institutes, including B-schools and engineering colleges, will have to complete the accreditation process for all courses before 2022 to meet the minimum standard in higher education, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) said on Wednesday. This will help attract students from low- and middle-income countries to Indian institutions, it said. Professional colleges will not be allowed to offer courses if they fail to complete the accreditation process, AICTE said. The ministry had evaluated 942 faculty members of top engineering schools, including the Indian Institutes of Technology and the National Institutes of Technology, before shortlisting 296 professors for mentoring less-known institutions to help improve the standard of their curriculum. Top technical schools will be provided financial support to help others in achieving the goal, the ministry has said. Students will be encouraged to give feedback to improve the quality of education and evaluate teachers. – Courtesy
UGC expects to get 100 proposals for Paramarsh Scheme
UGC expects to get 100 proposals for Paramarsh Scheme | Millenium Post | 26 August 2019 | | New Delhi |
The University Grants Commission (UGC) is expecting to receive around 100 proposals from the higher education institutions for its ‘Paramarsh Scheme’. As part of the scheme, top institutions will mentor five non-accredited institutes to secure National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grade. “The last date for submitting proposals by the mentors is September 2. These will then be examined,” a UGC official said here on Monday. “Once the proposals are accepted by the UGC, the institutes can start the mentoring programme within a month,” the official added. The scheme mandates that the mentor institutions should have secured an NAAC score of 3.26 out of 4. Human Resource Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, who launched the scheme last month, said it would improve quality and standards of higher education in the country. The official noted that since securing NAAC accreditation has been made mandatory for the open universities too, the top institutions can also mentor open universities which will be applying for NAAC grade for the first time.
Under the ‘Paramarsh’ scheme, the leading institutions will provide regular mentoring to help colleges to get accredited by the NAACA. The mentor institutions can be provided financial assistance of up to Rs 30 lakh. There is also an option of appointing an expert, who can be paid a fellowship amount of Rs 31,000 per month. The scheme aims to improve the global rankings of Indian higher educational institutions. “The scheme will lead to enhancement of the mentee institutions’ quality and its profile as a result of improved quality of research, teaching and learning methodologies. The mentee institution will also have increased exposure and speedier adaptation to best practices,” the official added. The NAAC is an autonomous body that assesses and accredits higher education institutions in the country. – Courtesy / UGC Circular – Published on 24-07-2019 – Paramarsh – UGC Scheme for Mentoring NAAC Accreditation Aspirant Institutions to Promote Quality Assurance in Higher Education / Registration
Under UGC’s Paramarsh scheme, top varsities to mentor NAAC-aspirant colleges
Hindustan Times | Amandeep Shukla | Nov 15, 2018 | New Delhi |
Mentor institutions, under University Grants Commission (UGC)’s ‘Paramarsh’ scheme, will have to guide the mentees in achieving high-quality standards, said a UGC member.
Top Indian universities and colleges will share their expertise and resources with educational institutes, which have failed to meet the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)’s quality standards, under the University Grants Commission (UGC)’s ‘Paramarsh’ scheme. The UGC, which regulates higher education in the country, on Wednesday gave its nod to a proposal at meeting in New Delhi in this regard. “Many educational institutions have not been doing well when it comes to NAAC accreditation, which assesses minimum quality standards. The focus is to ensure that every institution shall get NAAC accreditation with a minimum score of 2.5 by 2022. So, a scheme named Paramarsh received the commission’s in principle nod,” said a UGC member. Mentor institutions, under the scheme, will have to guide the mentees in achieving high-quality standards, said another UGC member. He said hundreds of top performing universities and colleges would be chosen to lead others, which have failed to get good ratings.
The second UGC member said improving the quality and ensuring institutions and their courses are accredited is a major focus area. “A similar mentorship scheme has already been in the works for technical institutions. The new scheme aims to ensure that better performing varsities and colleges also help the ones lagging behind.” Former UGC member Inder Mohan Kapahy said NAAC measures the quality of institutions on a scale of 4 by looking at various aspects like methodology of teaching, research, patents. “This is an attempt to raise the quality of several of our institutions, which could benefit from the better performing ones.” A proposal for an institution to be in existence for at least 15 years to be conferred the status of a university was also discussed at the UGC meeting. It is proposed that the institutions seeking the status should have high NAAC scores. Two-thirds of courses should have the National Board of Accreditation go-ahead in case a technical institution is seeking the deemed status. “The proposal was discussed. However, it was felt that more deliberations were needed on this,” said another UGC member. – Courtesy
IIT, IIM to help speed up accreditation
The Asian Age | Sep 9, 2018 |
At present, only 15 per cent of the higher educational institutes in the country are accredited.
Representational Image
New Delhi: The government on Saturday said that the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) will be roped in for speedy assessment and accreditation of higher educational institutes along with official agencies such as National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and National Board of Accreditation (NBA). While the NAAC and the NBA will be expanded, the premier IITs and IIMs could also join hands and form an accreditation agency to expedite the process, said human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar. At present, only 15 per cent of the higher educational institutes in the country are accredited. “We have asked IITs and IIMs to come together and create an agency which we can be used to expedite the process of accreditation,” the minister said.
He said accreditation from now onwards will be based on “learning outcome” and quality of education should be the key parameter for determining the standard of an institute. The minister’s comments came against the backdrop of the University Grants Commission (UGC) clearing a proposal to allow more accreditation agencies to come into the sphere of accreditation to enhance the existing capacity. The minister said 80 per cent of the weightage for accreditation would be given on learning outcome and peer reviews, while the physical verification of the campus and infrastructure could be done through the use of satellites. “An institute which maintains quality will only survive and those who fail to do so will be out of business,” he said. The minister also said that the government would be rolling out a scheme where students can engage themselves in the literacy mission and provide education to people who are illiterates. Illiteracy should be eliminated in four-five years. He rued the fact that even after 70 years of Independence, the country is still talking about basic literacy. – Courtesy
Institutions can apply for NAAC accreditation round the year
Times of India | K Sambath Kumar | TNN | Jun 2, 2018 |
TRICHY: National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) will accept online applications from institutions seeking accreditation round the year. Earlier the Institutions were allowed to undergo accreditation process only twice a year in June/July and in Nov/Dec when the revised NAAC guidelines came into effect last year. The latest revisions have given an edge to the institutions seeking reaccreditation as teachers need not submit the details pertaining to their publications and citations. NAAC which is an autonomous body established by UGC to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country, issued new guidelines in July 2017. Significant changes were incorporated further and a revised framework was released in January 2018. Now again some minor revisions have been incorporated now which come into effect from June 01, as per the NAAC website. “While every institution has to submit AQAR very year but many were submitting the combined document at the time of NAAC accreditation. The revised norms make it mandatory for the institutions to submit the report every year,” said Director of internal quality assurance cell (IQAC) BDU S Rajasekar. – Courtesy
NAAC-affiliated institutions should become autonomous in 10 years
The Indian Express | PTI | Kolkata | May 5, 2018 |
Sahasrabudhe said there is fear among some universities about autonomy which needs to be overcome and asked all industry bodies to provide interface for a connect between industry and institution.
AICTE Chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe today said NAAC-affiliated institutions in the country should become autonomous in ten years, compared to over 50 per cent now. “Any accredited institution reaching the threshold of certain academic standard should go for autonomy,” Sahasrabudhe told reporters here. The number of NAAC-affiliated autonomous institutions in the country has to go from 50 per cent to “60-70 per cent even 100 per cent in a decade’s time. The AICTE chairman was in the city to attend a discussion ‘Millennial Learning Educational Strategies for the Gen Next’ organised by Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC) and Sister Nivedita University. To a question about certain state-run universities not in favour of autonomy, he said “I am aware of this. It is all about mindset problem. Some amount of work will definitely increase if autonomy is given.
“You (institutions) will have to set your curriculum and set questions, but you in that place can have lot of freedom, lot of advantages. The problem at some government institutions is they apprehend if autonomy is given the government funding will lessen and it will be similar to a private college. But this is an uncalled for fear,” he said. He said there is fear among some universities about autonomy which needs to be overcome and asked all industry bodies to provide interface for a connect between industry and institution. Sahasrabudhe said AICTE is moving towards this interface. “We are also engaging teacher-training programmes and there had been encouraging response in past 5-6 years.” He said in the past few years a large number of start-ups have come to the picture and provided internships to 4-5 lakh students a year. “Many students from rural areas could not get the required platform. We are giving them that platform,” he added. – Courtesy
Education reforms: Rating by private bodies, 3-tier autonomy for institutions
Hindustan Times | Jun 10, 2017 | Chetan Chauhan | Chetan Chauhan |
The top-ranked institutions would get full academic and administrative autonomy while the lowest ranked institutions would remain under the government control.
In a major reform, the government plans to outsource assessment and accreditation of the higher education institutions to private bodies and give full autonomy — academic, financial and administrative — to the top ranked institutions, Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya told HT. This is part of the higher education reform package being finalised by the National Institution for Transforming India (Niti) Aayog and the HRD ministry. The Prime Minister’s Office in March had asked them to prepare a blueprint for higher education reform that breeds academic excellence in top institutions of the country. “The reform package is almost ready,” Panagariya said. “For this, we will have to amend or replace the University Grants Commission (UGC) law. The call will be taken by Parliament”. Reforms in higher education sector had been under discussion for a long time but the government had failed to implement them because of resistance from within. More than a decade ago, the National Knowledge Commission constituted by the UPA government had recommended slew of reforms including disbanding the two higher important higher education regulators the UGC and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and proposed an overarching higher education regulator. But, the recommendations remained on paper because of opposition by the HRD ministry and the two bodies.
Before introducing a higher education regulator, the National Democratic Alliance government has decided to set in motion the reforms by making third party mandatory accreditation for all public and private higher education institutions to ensure transparency and quality. “We want credible private agencies should assess institutions in private agencies,” Panagariya said, adding that even sovereign rating in the United States is done by the private agencies. “The accreditation would be based on academic and research outcome”. The National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) has evaluated only 10% of about 10,000 higher education institutions in India and the government wants to bring all institutions under accreditation in the next three years. For this, proposal is to rope in private rating agencies. Autonomy of institutions is the next big reform the government would implement, Panagariya said. The government plans to introduce a three-tier autonomy mechanism in which the institutions having ranked on the top by the HRD ministry will get full academic, administrative and financial autonomy. It would mean these institutions will be free to introduce new courses and schools, revamp curriculum, appoint faculty including from foreign universities and approve research projects. Middle-ranked institutions will have higher autonomy than their current level. It would mean they would be free to introduce new courses and appoint faculty but will have to take approval of the funding agency (HRD ministry) to start new schools and appoint foreign faculty. The institutions ranked poor would remain under the government control. Sources said that the reforms are being anchored in the Prime Minister’s Office and the changes are being made as suggested by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the review in March 2017. – Courtesy
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