Monday, April 04, 2010
Over 2,000 Colleges In The Country Have Ratings That Are No Longer Valid

Chennai: Four universities and 72 colleges in Tamil Nadu, including leading names such as Anna University and the Madras Christian College, figure among over 2000 institutions countrywide that have been functioning with expired grades given by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

In essence, these institutions are claiming to have a recognised rating that has outlived its five-year validity period.
While Maharashtra with 840 higher educational institutions including nine universities is the largest defaulter in flaunting expired NAAC grades, in the south Karnataka earns the dubious distinction of having the highest number of 298 institutions that have not renewed their NAAC rating.

The NAAC is an autonomous body established by the University Grants Commission to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country. Although undergoing a NAAC assessment is purely a voluntary exercise, flaunting expired grades is a violation of norms of the accreditation agency. Institutions, whose grades have expired, need to apply for a reaccreditation process.

Since its inception, the NAAC, assessed and accredited close to 4,200 Indian colleges. Now, close to half of those are ratings that have lapsed and not valid. NAAC director H A Ranganath said, “Quality is a continuous process and it can’t have gaps. All these colleges know the validity of their NAAC ratings is over.’’ Ranganath added that the NAAC was not a police but a body which held a “mirror, telling a varsity or a college its strengths and weak areas.”

Among the TN universities which are functioning with their old ratings are Anna University, Bharathidasan University in Thiruchi (A Grade), Manonmaniam Sundaranar University in Tirunelveli (B++) and the Gandhigram deemed university (5 Star).

Asked about the old ratings, Anna University (Chennai) registrar S Shanmugavel had said that a committee was set up in 2007 to reapply for accreditation. “But there is a delay in sending our application as our officials are busy. It is difficult to tell when we will apply for reassessment,” he added.

Prominent colleges affiliated to the University of Madras which have been listed by the NAAC for using invalid ratings include the MCC, Madras School of Social Work, Guru Nanak College, SDNB Vaishnav College for Women, Government College of Men in Nandanam, D G Vaishnav College and New College.

MCC principal R W Alexander Jesudasan said “We are working on the re-accreditation process. We have also held a discussion with the NAAC peer team. A committee has been formed and we will submit ourselves for re-accreditation within a month.”

In contrast, quite a few state universities and deemed universities had successfully applied for reaccreditation. The University of Madras, which was awarded the 5 Star rating in the first accreditation exercise nearly a decade ago, had undergone a re-accreditation process a few years ago and received a ‘A’ grade. Recently, the Bharathiar University in Coimbatore was reaccredited by the NAAC and awarded ‘A’ grade. The NAAC had also awarded B grades to Kalasalingam and Chettinad deemed universities– both of which were being accredited for the first time.

Other well known institutions from the state which had successfully obtained re-accreditation are the VIT University (deemed), the Madurai Kamaraj University, Annamalai University, Avinashilingam University for Women (deemed), and Sastra deemed university.