Mediocrity Will Not Work In Times Of Global Competition

Prof. D P Singh, Director, NAAC speaks to Abhay Anand on the bottlenecks in the process of accreditation, what is being done to speed it up and efforts to bring in transparency…

- Abhay Anand

Q. Earlier you were associated with universities, and now you are on the other side, evaluating them. How do you look at it?

A. The experience of being part of the university system, both central and state, helps me and the aspirations of the universities and the expectations of NAAC. Coincidently, NAAC visit at two of the universities happened when I was the VC. These experiences help me at NAAC to improve quality of higher education by keeping in mind various aspects and expectation of universities.

Q. How do you look at accreditation in the light of changing higher education scenario across the globe?

A. It is very important and in India it has been made mandatory by the MHRD and all the universities and colleges come under this mandatory notification. UGC, MHRD, DST and all other agencies give due importance to NAAC grading for awarding funds under various schemes. UGC has schemes like University with Potential for Excellence, Centre with Potential for Excellence, Colleges with Potential for Excellence; under these schemes only colleges and universities with ‘A’ grade accreditation are eligible for funding.

Similarly, the funding pattern under the UGC and RUSA has been linked with accreditation based on the grade the colleges and universities have got in accreditation and non-accredited ones will get nothing. As accreditation is mandatory more and more institutions are coming for accreditation.

Q. Though it is mandatory, very less number of institutions are going for accreditation. Why is it so?

A. Now, the scenario has changed since accreditation was made mandatory. Till July this year we have had 276 universities accredited.