NAAC issues statement against allegations of irregularities in its functioning

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has been reeling under allegations of irregularities in its functioning. On Tuesday, March 7, it released a press statement as clarification against the accusations.

"The entire process of accreditation and assessment is robust, transparent, ICT-driven and automated. The system cannot be compromised because the whole process is decentralised, transparent and accessible to the stakeholders through a user-friendly portal and dashboard at all stages of the assessment and accreditation process," the document states, as per a report by The New Indian Express.

“The process of awarding grades to Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) has four fool-proof steps. The first is the submission of the peer team report along with the grade, followed by step two, where scrutiny is done by the Standing Committee - a Sub-Committee of the Executive Committee. In the third step, the results are declared by NAAC, and in the fourth, ratification of the results is taken up by Executive Committee” it adds.

Read Also : NAAC Chairman Bhushan Patwardhan resigns following allegations of unfair grading practices in universities

The Council stated further that the certificates issued by the Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) dated July 25, 2022, on Web Application Security Compliance Status have found the web applications satisfactory, adding that the certificate is valid for two years. "It may be pointed out that processes within NAAC are continuously being improved so that assessment and accreditation of the educational institutions are done transparently and professionally," NAAC clarified.

Though the clarification rules out the possibility of manipulation in the grade-awarding process, the document came two days after the Chairperson of NAAC’s Executive Committee, Bhushan Patwardhan, resigned. He had been repeatedly demanding an independent inquiry into the functioning of the Council, as per TNIE.

NAAC is an autonomous body under the University Grants Commission (UGC). It was set up in 1994 and is entrusted with assessing the quality of HEIs in India through its awards ranging from grades A++ to C.