IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, March 20: The Union Government has reportedly listed 11 centrally-funded universities including Aligarh Muslim University, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (Lucknow) as “non-performing” varsities and has asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to conduct an audit of output, quality of research and students’ results of these institutions. It is said that National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous institution of UGC that evaluates academic institutions and award accreditation to them, will conduct the audit.
However, when IndiaTomorrow.net visited the website of NAAC and checked the accreditation status of all the 11 ‘under-performing’ varsities, we found (see list below) that nine of the eleven varsities have been granted accreditation by NAAC – some as early as 2016.
On 10th March, Times of India published a news story that the central government suspects that some of the country’s most prestigious universities are underperforming and has, hence, asked the UGC to audit them for academic and research quality. The daily said that 11 such institutions have been listed.
IndiaTomorrow.net research found that 7 of the 11 varsities including Aligarh Muslim University, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (Uttarakhand) and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (Lucknow) have been given A grade accreditation by NAAC. While Allahabad University has got B++ grade, Tripura University has got B grade. Status of Central University of Jammu and Central University of Jharkhand is not available on NAAC website.
As per NAAC rules, the institutions getting grade from A++ to C are awarded accreditation. Institutions with D grade are not awarded accreditation.
Interestingly, BJP leader Adityanath Yogi, the newly appointed Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, is a science graduate from Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University (Uttarkhand). It had got B grade in 2003 but A grade in 2016.
‘Under-performing’ Universities
Last NAAC Accreditation
Date of Accreditation
1
Aligarh Muslim University
A
03/03/2015
2
Allahabad University
B++
08/01/2004
3
Pondicherry University
A
30/11/2011
4
Central University of Jammu
blank
5
Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University
A
29/03/2016
6
Central University of Jharkhand
blank
7
Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow
A
01/05/2015
8
Central University of Rajasthan
A
16/09/2016
9
Dr Hari Singh Gour University, Sagar
A
25/06/2015
10
Tripura University
B
15/11/2015
11
Mahatma Gandhi Antarashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya
A
03/03/2015
While two of the nine universities got accreditation in 2016, five in 2015, one in 2011 and one in 2004.
The NAAC accreditation status is valid for a period of five years with effect from the accreditation date.
“Assessment and Accreditation is broadly used for understanding the “Quality Status” of an institution. In the context of Higher Education, the accreditation status indicates that the particular Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) – a College, a University, or any other recognised Unit therein, meets the standards of quality as set by the Accreditation Agency, in terms of its performance, related to the educational processes and outcomes, covering the curriculum, teaching-learning, evaluation, faculty, research, infrastructure, learning resources, organisation, governance, financial well being and student services,” says NAAC.
Despite NAAC accreditation, how can government put these institutions in the list of ‘under-performing’ universities – the question must be baffling both students and teachers of these institutions.
While some at Aligarh Muslim University which, apart from NAAC accreditation, also got higher rank than Delhi University by US News Education World Report early this year, alleged that the government decision is politically motivated.
An academician at Delhi University said the move behind putting NAAC accreditation holding institutions in the ‘non-performing’ list could be to weed out these institutions or hand them over to private sector.
