Seven of the 16 government universities in the State lack NAAC accreditation.
On one end of the scale, the government is opening one after another university. On the other hand, a lack of infrastructure prevents many State colleges and universities from applying for accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
In this regard, the comment made in the Assembly by the Minister of Higher Education Rohit Pujari is alarming.
In the State, there are 16 government universities, however, only seven of them have NAAC accreditation. Similar to this, only 188 of the State’s 517 registered degree colleges hold NAAC accreditation.
The district-level data is much more terrible.
While Deogarh, Malkangir, Sonepur, and Kandhamal each have one authorized college, the Nabarangpur district has none.
“The process to get the NAAC accreditation is a little bit difficult for which the universities and colleges can’t apply in time. We urge the State government to make it simpler,” said Dr. Gagan Beura, Principal of Govindapur College.
“Opening colleges and universities without improving the infrastructure and appointing teachers is meaningless. A team should visit the institutions regularly to monitor them. Or else, we will go further backward,” observed Golak Nayak, president of the 622 Category College Teachers and Employees Association.
Universities and colleges are not meeting the requirements for accreditation because they lack the necessary facilities and faculty.
When deciding whether to provide NAAC accreditation, three factors are taken into account. They are teachers, infrastructure, research, and transparency. Following accreditation, the institutions will receive funding from the RUSA, the UGC, and the World Bank.
The Higher Education Department has established the Higher Education Council to assist the institutions in becoming up to par. However, everyone is aware of what the Council is doing.
“The entire education system is full of flaws. If a college gets the NAAC accreditation, it will start receiving funds. So it is the duty of the State government to see how the colleges will get the accreditation,” said Amiya Mohanty, an educationist.
(Source: OTV News)
