The quality of higher education, a crucial component of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, is set to see substantial enhancements through the reforms proposed by the Dr. Radhakrishnan Committee. Approved by the Ministry of Education and implemented by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), the strategy incorporates Binary Accreditation and Maturity-Based Graded Levels to elevate educational standards.
The Apex Committee and various Discipline-wise Committees held around 40 meetings to carry out the changes, engaging with stakeholders to finalise the essential manuals and procedures for Binary Accreditation.
In the upcoming months, NAAC will organise five regional workshops to collect feedback from universities and colleges regarding the Binary Accreditation manual prior to its official release. Additionally, NAAC intends to collaborate with Higher Education Departments and Councils across various states to ensure broad participation in the new accreditation process.
The proposed framework seeks to shorten the cycle time, reduce accreditation fees, and eliminate the necessity for physical peer team visits. Institutions will conduct data validation, focusing mainly on quantitative measures, to ensure objectivity and accuracy in assessments.
The framework consists of 56 metrics for autonomous colleges 59 for universities, and 46 for affiliated colleges. NAAC has also created discipline-specific manuals tailored to fields like law, health sciences, and management to address their specific requirements.
In the next few months, five regional workshops will be conducted by NAAC to collect feedback from colleges and universities regarding the binary accreditation manual prior to its official launch. Furthermore, NAAC intends to collaborate with higher education departments and councils in various states to ensure broad participation in the new accreditation process.
