To believe or not in education institutes grading?

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The resignation by the chairman of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), chairman Bhushan Patwardhan alleging malpractices in seeking grades has raised serious doubts about the NAAC grade among all stakeholders of higher education institutions (HEI).

It may be noted that the Central and the State Governments are laying stress on seeking grades from the NAAC by the colleges and universities to enhance the quality of education. The New Education Policy (NEP) which is being implemented in the coming academic year, has significance for HEIs accreditation. Over the issue, this newspaper spoke to former vice-chancellors and academicians on the issue.

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Dr Sudhir Gavhane, the former vice chancellor and expert on NAAC Peer Teams, said that there are thousands of institutions across the country.

“The process of assessment and accreditation is a huge task. The Self Study Report (SSR) is prepared and submitted by the institutions to the NAAC which then sends the Peer team for the assessments. The members of the team are selected out of State.

He said that the Peer Team was fully responsible for accreditation for around a decade or so. “Now, the 70 per cent quality assessment is evidence-based and has a totally digital process without any human intervention while 30 per cent assessment is done through the peer team visit. Even videography of the peer team is done and its clip is uploaded on the portal of the council and HEI,” he said.

He said that nearly 95 per cent process is done smoothly as per the designed process and if there is a possibility of 5 per cent malpractice cases, the concerned institute can submit a complaint for a low grade.

“If any evidence or substance is found, the re-visit of the peer team is also done. Significantly, the peer team on the last date of inspection gives a signed report to the head of that institution.

He said that the Executive Body of the Council takes the final decision according to the grade. “There may be some kind of conflict between the University Grants Commission and NAAC in the present case. When Bhushan Patwardhan is making an allegation, it is serious and should be investigated thoroughly. Action must be taken against the guilty,” he said.

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Former vice-chancellor Dr Vijay Pandharipande said that resignation of NAAC chairman, alleging corruption and malpractice to enhance grade in accreditation by the particular institution or organisation is worrisome in the field of higher education.

He said that the reasons given by him (Patwardhan) in the resignation letter are very serious and worrying.

“He stated that there is corruption and chaos in the organisation (council. Even though there are no facilities while giving grades, it is also said that the marks are increased.

He said different colleges in the same city have information about each other. “It is an open secret. So when a normal college gets an A grade, and a better, well-equipped college gets a B grade, it is natural to be upset. Some institutes appeal at this point, asking for a re-evaluation. Sometimes the grade improves. But what about the time and money it costs?

Then there is pressure on the inspection team. For this, strict action must be taken against the senior officer of this organisation if found guilty,” he added.

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Dr Madhukar Gaikwad, ex-principal said that the exposure of malpractices by Bhushan Patward is a serious thing.

“The corporate culture is spreading in educational institutions. The UGC gives funding on the basis of grade. So, wrong practices emerged in the system to seek high grades. I feel that an agency cannot evaluate an institution in just two or three days for five years. There is a need for a continuous evaluation process for institutions and students. The Government must take allegations of Patwardhan seriously and initiate action after the probe,” he added.