Chandrakant Patil suggests reforms in NAAC; writes to union education minister

Mumbai: Outlining reforms in the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) process so that more higher education institutions facilitate assessments, Chandrakant Patil, Minister for Higher and Technical Education, has written a letter to Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education, Skill Development, and Entrepreneurship.

The letter, handed over during Pradhan’s visit to Pune, stated “Under the proposed changes, institutions of higher education should operate on a non-granted or self-financing basis. Moreover, they must meet at least two criteria from the following: located in a rural area with less than 500 hundred student population, situated in a population of fewer than 10,000, single-course colleges, located in a notified tribal district, or colleges offering only degree courses.”

Recently, with an aim to implement the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in colleges across the state, the Higher and Technical Education department had made NAAC accreditation mandate. Those unable to will face action from the department which recently came up with a three-step formula to act against such institutions.

After this decision, the state higher education department held a discussion with all the college principals to understand the issues faced by the colleges. Considering the points mentioned during the discussion, Patil wrote this letter to Pradhan.

In a bid to simplify the assessment process, Patil suggested that peer team members verify Qualitative Metrics (QIM) during NACC visits, reducing the need for additional metric submissions. The proposal also includes a mechanism to reallocate metric-wise notices and weights through NAAC.

Patil highlighted that simplifying and making the assessment process more affordable would encourage more institutions to undergo assessments and help reduce errors. To further expedite the process, he proposed the introduction of a financial incentive/fee reimbursement scheme, with contributions from both the central and state governments, if necessary.

While welcoming the minister’s move, a principal from a Mahad-based college said, “We are expecting positive impact from this letter. This will help smaller instituted like us to get recognition from the government, who runs one or two courses in the rural parts of the state.”

Maharashtra, known for its numerous higher education institutions (HEIs), the government has undertaken a special initiative to ensure that all HEIs receive evaluations and certifications within the stipulated time frame. The government has launched the ‘Paris Sparsh’ scheme to assist small colleges in the process, along with the formation of committees to address and resolve issues.