State comes up with three-step formula to act against colleges failing to get NAAC mandate

Mumbai: With an aim to implement the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in colleges across the state, the Higher and Technical Education department wants all institutions to complete the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grading. Those flouting the rule will have to face the action from the department which recently came up with a three-step formula to act against such institutions.

“We came up with the three-step action programme, which includes sending a show cause notice to the colleges, publishing a list of colleges that do not have NAAC grading on the websites of the universities and also asking to publish an advertisement in newspapers about the colleges that do not have NAAC grading,” said Shailendra Deolankar, director of higher education.

The department took the decision in a recently held meeting with vice-chancellors (VCs) of Gondwana University, Gadchiroli, Sant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur University, and Sant Gadgebaba Amravati University.

The higher education department had issued an order to universities across the state to de-affiliate colleges without NAAC assessment. In February, the state government 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.

After this last week, the department ordered universities to submit an action taken report before September 7. However, as of now, none of the state’s universities have submitted the required report. Consequently, Deolankar issued a letter with the detailed schedule instructing VCs of the universities to personally be present for meetings to be held in Pune and Mumbai with the Principal Secretary of the Higher and Technical Education department and submit a report on the action taken on colleges that have yet to initiate the process of NAAC.

As per the letter, meetings scheduled at Pune were held on Friday, September 8, and the department is unhappy with the university’s stand about taking action against the colleges. Deolankar said, “We had called for a report from all universities regarding the action taken on withdrawal of affiliation with respect to defaulting colleges. But the report has not yet been submitted by the universities and the department has taken a strict stand.”

The state government is keen on NAAC grading for all colleges across the state and has been acting on this since February this year. “We are unhappy with the reluctant approach of the universities to act against the colleges,” said an official from the higher and technical education department.

“The state government is planning to implement the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in the colleges across the state from the academic year 2024–25. Considering this, to maintain the quality of education, the government is very keen on forcing colleges to complete NAAC grading. Due to this approach of the government, Maharashtra is at the top of the NAAC grading colleges in the country and we must maintain this stand,” said Deolankar while explaining the government’s thought behind the NAAC grading process.

NAAC status report on the colleges in Maharashtra until August 2023: out of a total of 28 government colleges, 24 have NAAC grades. Out of a total of 1,177 government-aided colleges, 1,133 have obtained NAAC grades. But out of 2,141 non-aided colleges across Maharashtra, only 257 have NAAC accreditation. Deolankar stated that after the government’s insistence on NAAC accreditation and a strong stand taken by the government, 373 more colleges initiated the process of obtaining NAAC accreditation.

On September 12 and 13, department officials and Chandrakant Patil, minister of the higher and education department, will have individual discussions with the remaining eight universities, including the University of Mumbai, about the action taken report.