The State government has decided to form the Tamil Nadu State Academic Audit and Accreditation Council (TNSAAC) by merging the Academic Audit Committee of the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TANSCHE) with the State Accreditation Council.
The TNSAAC will be headed by S.P. Thyagarajan, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Madras. It will have both academics and officials.
A senior official says as there is scope for overlapping of functions of the two bodies, it has been decided to merge the two and constitute the TNSAAC.
Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudy will inaugurate the Council at a function here on Wednesday.
The official explains that the accreditation system, which is being carried out by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), is not able to cover educational institutions of higher learning very effectively. Only once in five years, the assessment process can be carried out.
By establishing the State-level Council, the authorities hope that the assessment process can be executed more frequently. They are proposing to have it done once in two years for every institution.
Approximately, 1,200 arts and science colleges and colleges of education will be covered. The quality of teaching and teachers and the level of infrastructure will be assessed. The State Council will establish standards. It will be housed at the TANSCHE office.
The government is in the process of issuing an order for the formation of the Council and members of the Council will have tenure of three years.
