1,903 colleges in state could lose university affiliation

Mumbai: The higher education department has issued an order to universities across the state to de-affiliate colleges without a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) assessment. Around 1,903 or 60 percent of degree colleges registered with the University Grants Commission (UGC) do not have NAAC accreditation, of which around 350 are affiliated to the University of Mumbai (MU).

The order signed by Shailendra Deolankar, director, directorate of higher education, states, “Despite repeated instructions by UGC and the state government, colleges have ignored getting the NAAC rating. It is the right of students to know the academic quality of a college. The government has taken the stand that colleges without NAAC deprive students of this right and hence, this evaluation is necessary.” Educational experts said the absence of an NAAC rating raises questions about the academic quality of these colleges.

In February, the state government had directed all institutions to register and submit institutional information for quality assessment (IIQA) to the NACC office to start NACC evaluation and re-evaluation by March 31. Deolankar’s letter states that thousands of colleges in the state had not yet moved for the NAAC assessment despite clarifying that a proposal would be made to restrict admissions for the academic year 2023-24. “It is mandatory for the colleges which do not have NAAC approval to submit IIQA before starting admissions this year, otherwise these will not start in these colleges,” says the letter.

Of the 3,346 degree colleges in the state, 1,986 do not have the NAAC rating. According to NAAC data, while 24 out of 28 government colleges have it, 1,098 of 1,177 aided colleges have completed the process to get accreditation. However, only 238 of the 2,141 unaided colleges have completed their assessment while 1,903 colleges have not undertaken the NAAC assessment.

According to the Maharashtra Public University Act, 2016, Section 109 (b), Sub-section 06 (b), if colleges do not comply with the conditions prescribed by the state government, action will be taken against them. Also, as per Sub-section (4) of Section 110 of the Maharashtra Public University Act, 2016, “Where the college or institute fails to comply with such requirements, no affiliation shall be granted to such college or institute by the University”.