Colleges and universities are in a race to get top grades from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), in order to qualify for research grants.
Earlier this month, a NAAC team visited the Government Arts and Science College, Chengalpattu and in the first week of September, Presidency College will be inspected.
Ahead of the exercise, the Director of College Education R. Sarumathi issued a circular urging colleges to streamline their Ph.D. and M.Phil. programmes. The DCE wanted the colleges to provide details of all courses that have not been approved by the University Grants Commission.
The DCE has also sought details of how many students had been admitted and given degrees and the reasons for not seeking approval for degrees. The director has issued a list of 19 colleges in the State offering these higher degrees.
The emphasis on accreditation is also putting pressure on institutions. “A college in Delhi which has hitherto never bothered to get autonomy or NAAC accreditation has done so this year, under duress,” said K. Pandiyan, a former office-bearer of the Association of University Teachers.
The exercise is a precursor to events that would unfold when the Higher Education Commission of India becomes a reality, he said. Competitive rankings which permit institutions to generate funds through fees would put an end to the public education system, he cautioned.
But the exercise is doing government colleges a world of good. Encouraged to participate in the process, government college teachers said 50% of the institutions had already applied for accreditation and except for the newer institutions, the rest are encouraged to apply.
One of the issues that government institutions and aided colleges struggle with is infrastructure. Teachers have been demanding more funds to improve the facilities in colleges.
The good news is that veteran teachers do not put as much emphasis on infrastructure as on teaching resources. In his recent address to the University of Madras teachers, University Grants Commission Chairman Dhirendra Pal Singh said teaching and faculty quality mattered more than infrastructure.
