A delay in renewing the National Assessment and Accreditation Council’s (NAAC) accreditation is posing a setback to the functioning of Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat). One of the sought-after science and technology universities in the country, Cusat has not renewed its accreditation which expired in 2011.
A recent notification by the University Grants Commission (UGC) stipulates that it is mandatory for all institutions to get their NAAC status updated every six months, failing which they will lose UGC recognition.
Higher education institutions and faculties, schools, departments and various centres functioning under them will not be eligible for financial assistance from the Commission, if the respective institution is not accredited by NAAC.
Institutions which do not comply with the conditions in the notification also face the threat of withdrawal of allotted funds.
All accredited higher education institutions will have to apply for re-accreditation six months before the expiry of the period, in accordance with the norms and procedures prescribed by the relevant accreditation agency.
It is further stated that every institution which has completed six years of existence or from which two batches of students have passed should apply for the accreditation.
It is learnt that Cusat had not applied for accreditation renewal, as it was expecting an elevation of status to an Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) or Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
When contacted, Cusat authorities claimed that they have already initiated steps for renewing accreditation. “We have issued a letter of intent to NAAC and have started paper work for applying for accreditation. There is enough time to submit the application. We have also deputed a coordinator to take care of the process,” Cusat registrar A Ramachandran said.
The Department of Physics, Cusat, had been recently recognised as a Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) by the UGC in areas like materials science and theoretical physics.
The UGC granted the CAS status, as the Department of Physics has been engaged in high-level research and other academic activities.
An amount of Rs 110 lakh has also been sanctioned for procuring various equipment and managing recurring expenditures from 2013 to 2018.