NAAC introduces new Binary Accreditation system for colleges and universities in India, to be launched in September 2024

BHUBANESWAR: The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) will launch a new accreditation system for colleges and universities across the country in September this year. This binary accreditation framework is different from the existing accreditation system.
Anil D Sahasrabudhe, chairman of the executive committee of NAAC, announced this during a regional consultative workshop (eastern region) on binary accreditation organized at Utkal University.
To make significant improvements in the quality of education, the Radhakrishnan Committee on transformative reforms in accreditation, approved by the Ministry of Education, has made several key recommendations. The binary accreditation framework is one of these, Sahasrabudhe added.
“We have been using a grading system during the last decade for the accreditation of colleges and universities. Institutions receive grades starting from C to A++ in the existing system. We found that many institutions are not taking part in the accreditation process for fear that they may not get a good grade,” said Sahasrabudhe.
He noted that the country has around 1,200 universities, and about 65 percent of these universities do not participate in the accreditation system due to fear. “Similarly, the country has around 50,000 affiliated colleges, but around 85 percent do not apply for accreditation. It is a matter of concern. Without accreditation, how can we know their quality, strength, weaknesses, and performance?” he added.
The chairman expressed their goal for every higher education institute to come under the purview of accreditation. “It is our main target. To achieve it, we have formulated the binary accreditation module to make them accredited. The new system will not have a grade system like the existing one. Institutions will not feel scared of applying for this,” he added.
He also mentioned that peer teams will not physically visit the institutions as part of the assessment under the new accreditation system. “In the existing grading system, peer teams visit the colleges or universities to assess the self-study report sent by the institutions online. In the new system, we will manage it with the help of technology,” he added.
According to official sources, the proposed framework is expected to take less cycle time and require a lower accreditation fee. The data validation, which is largely quantitative, will be carried out by peer institutions to ensure objectivity and correctness of assessment. The proposed tentative framework of the new system has 10 attributes including 59 metrics for universities, 56 for autonomous colleges, and 46 for affiliated colleges.
NAAC is now conducting five regional workshops across the country to gather nationwide feedback from universities and colleges on the binary accreditation manual before its official launch. The regional consultative workshop (eastern region) held in Bhubaneswar was one of them. About 500 participants, including 17 vice-chancellors, heads of academics, and coordinators of quality assurance cells from institutions in eastern states such as Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, and West Bengal, attended the workshop.