None of the higher educational institutions in the State, which got assessed and accredited for the first time, managed to secure ‘A’ grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
The accreditation results of institutions approved by the standing committee, after its meeting on Sunday, were released on Monday. NAAC accreditation has been made mandatory by the University Grants Commission.
Those that applied in the first cycle included the prominent R.V. College of Engineering, Bengaluru, which managed to secure ‘B’ grade. One among the eight accredited in the first cycle was graded ‘C’.
Meanwhile, colleges from the State that applied for the subsequent cycles of accreditation fared marginally better. Of 15 that applied in the second cycle, only one secured an ‘A’ (Kristu Jayanti College, Bengaluru), while the remaining managed ‘B’.
The performance of colleges was best in the more advanced cycle of assessment and accreditation, with Karnataka having the highest number of colleges accredited in the third cycle this time.
D.P. Singh, Director, NAAC, told The Hindu that it was not a given that all institutions applying for the first cycle fare poorly. “Institutions that are good do get ‘A’ grade. And institutions that have got an ‘A’ in the first cycle are expected to maintain or improve their quality,” he said. Though no parameters of assessment were changed, the NAAC is thinking in that direction, but will hold consultations before that, he said.
Of six colleges that went through the third cycle of accreditation, three were stamped with ‘A’ grade — K.L.E. Society’s Jagadguru Gangadhar College of Commerce, Hubballi, K.L.E. Society’s Raja Lakhamagouda Science Institute, Belagavi, and N.M.K.R.V. College for Women, Bengaluru. The remaining three got ‘B’ grade.
