The Maharaja’s College (Autonomous) remains expectant of highest possible grading, as the reassessment by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) will be held over two days from Thursday.
The reassessment will be carried out by a three-member NAAC delegation led by its chairman Prakash C. Sarangi, former vice chancellor of the Bhubaneswar-based Ravenshaw University; member coordinator Kinnari Thakkar, economic professor of Bombay University; and member Praveen Martis S.J., former principal of Mangaluru-based St. Aloysius College (Autonomous).
This is the fourth-level reassessment of Maharaja’s College (Autonomous), which received three-star rating on February 7, 2000, followed by A grade on May 21, 2006, and A grade with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.11 on March 23, 2013.
The reassessment by NAAC is usually held every five years. But Maharaja’s College started functioning as an autonomous institution during the 2015-16 academic year, thus making the reassessment due only in 2020, as the accreditation was extended till December 2019, college sources said.
The college had submitted the Self Study Report on time, and NAAC reassessment was scheduled for January last year but was postponed in the wake of the pandemic outbreak. “We are optimistic of receiving the highest possible grade in view of the development activities in the college since it was declared academically autonomous,” said college Principal Mathew George.
While the college has academic autonomy, the lack of financial autonomy stopping it from starting self-financing courses like some of their counterparts may prove a handicap. The reassessment and subsequent meetings and interactions between NAAC delegation and college authorities will be held in compliance with the COVID-19 protocol and the pandemic-related guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission. The number of persons attending these meetings will be restricted. NAAC members will hold extensive meetings with the college Principal, department heads, research committee, and office staff.
Academic and governing council members will be met, and the activities carried out since the college was declared autonomous will be closely examined. NAAC members will visit various departments and meet with department heads and faculty members besides inspecting the laboratory and the library.
The college claims to have undertaken development projects worth over ₹100 crore since it had been granted academic autonomy. Being autonomous empowers the college to complete admission process in time, design syllabus and new courses, and conduct exams and announce results in 30 days.
