By Dr. S. Veeramani, MA., M.Phil., PhD., PGDCFS., Assistant Professor & Head, Department of English, Government Arts and Science College, Lalgudi, 621712, Trichy,
(Former IQAC –Coordinator & Former Nodal Officer- NIRF, Dr. Kalaignar Government Arts College (Sattamandra Ponvizha), Kulithalai, Karur. Former IQAC-Coordinator, Government Arts and Science College, Lalgudi, Trichy)
Off late, criticism has been expressed regarding the certification and assessment method of NAAC in each higher education establishment across India. A few educationists and professors perpetually say that the NAAC’s process is not necessary. “Who is NAAC to assess our establishment?” a few educationists say. Moreover, they assert that their institution is 100-year-old or 70-year-old as such. They feel the pride of solely the years gone by. They mention only the numbers to feel pride in their establishments, not on the quality. They assert that earlier, a few decades ago, no assessment and accrediting body existed in higher education, and the institutions ran well. Now, assessing bodies are changing the education system and say real education is collapsed. It is their wrong comprehension.
Some educationists across India articulate the statements mentioned above. Since every facilitator has responsible for maintaining the standard of higher education, the method of NAAC is incredibly needed, mandatory, and essential. If a few educationists say that NAAC’s assessment is not required for their teaching establishment, they cannot document the institution’s events and happenings socially and academically. I ask, are they able to get a selected event’s record or document that happened fifty years past that with pride says it is a 70-year-old? Indeed, they struggle to trace it out, however futile. An establishment must document associated records of the events and happenings academically and socially. Therefore, NAAC has framed seven criteria to assess an institution meticulously.
Some establishments realize it is tough to travel on the correct path paved by NAAC and strive to cater a productive education to their stakeholders. In the 21st century, (AI) and Cyborgs have mushroomed in people’s daily lives. Knowingly or not knowingly, people tend to use AI. During this scenario, a body or an authority ought to assess and accredit the education institution for the next generation. A few educationists have not understood the core worth and fundamental objectives of NAAC. Regarding reality, NAAC has systematically, meticulously, and correctly associated productively and developed the seven criteria to assess an institution. Since I occupied myself as an IQAC-Coordinator in two different academic establishments, NAAC and Its assessing method are necessary and inevitable.
NAAC has made people understand the following points (selected points) to be enforced:
- Quality teaching in higher education institutions (HEIs)
- Documenting all the events and recording the happenings of on-campus and off-Campus Programs of any kind orchestrated by HEIs
- Maintaining quality education.
- Togethering all teaching establishments under one system
- Designing the teaching and learning method effectively.
- Being with stakeholders, even once the completion of their program
- Hygiene campus field for the stakeholders
- Creating employability for the stakeholders
- Developing the analysis of activities in the HEIs
- Mentoring the stakeholders with well emotional being
- Redefining the curriculum or syllabus according to society’s needs and industry’s need
- Equal opportunities for an all-inclusive education policy and plenty
If educationists raise, why NAAC? If there’s the case, will they ask why FSSAI?
Will they ask, why BIS?
will they ask, why ISI?
Will they ask why in to-to quality in any object or article they use within their lives?
There ought to be a mandate for NAAC’s visit frequently. Suppose NAAC does not occupy the certification process, some teaching establishments can never have the habit of revising /updating the curriculum with the requirement of industry, institution, quality in higher education, recruiting qualified teachers, students’ development, employability skills of students/ stakeholders in the job market, and creating them a typical human being. Owing to the NAAC’s visit and its assessment and certification alone, some teaching establishments are walking towards quality, systematic function, maintaining records properly, and dealing with the stakeholders properly. While not NAAC, a few institutions will never work for society and students. Therefore, NAAC’s frequent visits and assessments are required to care for quality in HEIs. Currently, NAAC has rendered an excellent opportunity to travel for Provisional Accreditation for Colleges (PAC). It aims to encourage the institutions that realize it laborious to get accredited. It is a beautiful opportunity for institutions to enter NAAC’s accreditation and assessment process. If an establishment works toward NAAC, it will come under correct structure, uniformity, uniqueness, higher education, and many quality-related components.
UGC’s well-defined scheme, referred to as Paramarsh, is a Mentor-Mentee relationship of each establishment. Mentoring institution is to spot five non-accredited establishments and facilitate them get into NAAC’s certification. The mentee can receive proper and fruitful tips/suggestions from the mentor institution. It is an honest initiative of UGC and NAAC. Operating towards NAAC’s accreditation is not additional work, as some surmise. However, it is routine work and process. To ensure universal quality, the sole factor is to document and record the events, happenings, academics, social responsibilities, student progression, promotion analysis, innovation, and institution development. NAAC’s certification-associated assessments are needed. Not solely to travel for quality, but additionally to regulate an establishment, i.e., HEIs. The heart of an institution is the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC). IQAC has a lot of responsibilities in HEIs to initiate and introduce curriculum-related, quality-related, research-related, and social responsibility-related factors/agenda in a teaching institution. Therefore, NAAC’s accreditation and assessment method are mandated to regulate, regularize, rejuvenate, revamp, and achieve more in the HEIs. UGC has already reiterated all the HEIs (coming under it) to follow and incorporate Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) with LOCF. A few institutions that say NAAC’s certification is unnecessary, have not combined OBE with LOCF. OBE is an outstanding framework in higher education. Even if they have followed or incorporated LOCF/OBE, it is not in a proper manner with logicality. To make educationists understand UGC has meticulously framed LOCF, through the LOCF, HEIs can cater productive education to its stakeholders. If HEIs incorporate OBE/LOCF and NAAC’s guidelines, the HEIs will be catering their expertise to their stakeholders through facilitators effectively and productively.
