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University Grants Commission (UGC) might not grant funds to 250 colleges in Bengal for not having the NAAC accreditation the deadline for which is March 31.
According to an earlier notification it is mandatory for the colleges to have a NAAC certificate in order to get funds from the UGC. An official explained that this compulsion was there to ensure quality education and also for the standardization of performance levels at all colleges across the country. The current status report present with the higher education department states that out of 500 colleges in the state 74 have received the NAAC accreditation and 48 have got the letter of intent (LOI) from the body and around 100 colleges are in the process of receiving the LOI. However more than 250 institutes are still at various stages of receiving the certificate. In case the NAAC deadline is not extended these colleges might fail to get the financial assistance from the UGC.
According to a source it was not clear as to at which stage these 250 colleges were stuck at. She added,” Presumably, they must have already applied as December was the last date. But the government has no confirmation.”
An official asked that why there is a need for the college to get the NAAC certificate when it is already affiliated with a state university?
A higher education department official stated,” The lack of resources and shortage of staff have restricted the NAAC to grant accreditation immediately after colleges apply for it. It usually takes six months to a year for a college to get the tag. First the college sets up an internal quality assurance cell, which submits a report, which is subsequently submitted to the NAAC. A team is then sent to the colleges and formalities completed.”
