Colleges Failing To Get NAAC Mandate To Loose Varsity Affiliation

Colleges lacking a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) assessment must be de-affiliated, according to a directive from the higher education administration to institutions around the state.

A total of 1,903 degree-granting institutions, or 60% of those registered with the University Grants Commission (UGC), lack NAAC certification; of these, 350 are connected to the University of Mumbai (MU).

"Colleges have disregarded getting the NAAC rating, despite repeated instructions from UGC and the state government," reads the order, which was signed by Shailendra Deolankar, director of the Department of higher education. Students have a right to information about a college's academic standing. According to the government, colleges without NAAC deprive students of this privilege. Hence this assessment is required. According to educational experts, the lack of a NAAC grade raises concerns about the calibre of these colleges' academic programmes.

All institutions were required to register and submit institutional information for quality assessment (IIQA) to the NACC office by February 28 in order for the NACC evaluation and re-evaluation to begin by March 31. Even though it was made clear that a recommendation to limit admissions for the academic year 2023–24 will be made, Deolankar's letter claims that thousands of institutions in the state have not yet moved for the NAAC assessment. The letter states that in order for admissions to begin this year at universities without NAAC approval, IIQA must be submitted first. If not, admissions will not begin at those colleges.