NAAC Declares Higher Education Institutions to No Longer Receive Grades During the Accreditation Process

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As per NAAC, a decision to reform the current accreditation system was made during its executive council meeting on Saturday. NAAC assigns grades to HEIs as part of the accreditation process. Read full details here!

New Delhi: As per a statement released by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), a decision to reform the current accreditation system was made during its Executive Council Meeting on January 27, 2024. In a significant shift, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in India will no longer receive grades in the accreditation process; instead, they will be categorised as “either accredited or not accredited." Presently, NAAC assigns grades to HEIs as part of the accreditation process.

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The NAAC, an autonomous body under the University Grants Commission (UGC) responsible for assessing and certifying higher educational institutions, conveyed that this reform decision was made in response to recommendations put forth by an overarching committee led by K. Radhakrishnan, former Chairman of ISRO and Chairperson of the Standing Committee of IIT Council.

The government constituted this committee in November 2022, and its final report, shaped through public consultation, was presented to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on January 16. The Minister has subsequently accepted these recommendations, according to the NAAC statement.

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"The committee has proposed a series of transformative reforms to enhance the periodic approval, assessment, accreditation, and ranking processes of Indian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The recommendations emphasise mentoring and incentivising schemes to boost participation and accreditation levels among these institutions," the statement outlined.

According to the statement, the NAAC has decided to implement the reforms in two stages. The first stage, Binary Accreditation, will be introduced within the next four months, followed by Maturity-Based Graded levels by December 2024.

The statement clarified that the Binary Accreditation will categorise institutions as accredited or unaccredited, replacing the current grading system. This approach encourages all institutions to participate in the accreditation process, fostering a quality culture in the higher education system. Adopting binary accreditation aligns with best practices observed in many leading countries worldwide.

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Under the subsequent "Maturity-Based Graded Accreditation," the NAAC will motivate accredited institutions to elevate their standards to achieve the highest level of 5, denoted as "Institutions of Global Excellence for Multi-Disciplinary Research and Education." This levelled accreditation is anticipated to significantly enhance the quality of Indian institutions and position them among the top global institutions, as per the NAAC.

By the recommendations of the Radhakrishnan committee, the metrics for Binary and Maturity-Based Graded Accreditation will prioritise processes, outcomes, and impact across various attributes of HEIs, moving away from an input-centric focus.

The NAAC also highlighted the new approach's consideration of the diversity among HEIs in the country. The categorisation will be based on their orientation, vision, heritage, and legacy, with a tailored information-seeking process for each category. The statement focused on rural and remote location institutions through mentoring and handholding.

Moreover, the NAAC announced the introduction of a new "One Nation One Data Platform" to ensure the integrity and transparency of handling institutional data collected for various purposes, such as approval, accreditation, and ranking. This system is designed for collateral cross-checking of data authenticity, operating on a trust and data-driven model with minimal on-site visits for verification. The statement also mentioned the provision for customised ranking based on stakeholder perspectives, including industry, funding agencies, and students.

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