BHUBANESWAR: The need for update National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grades for availing funds sanctioned under Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) scheme has put colleges and universities of the State in a tight spot as most of them do not have valid NAAC accreditation.
Under RUSA scheme for Odisha, the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) has this year sanctioned Rs 2 crore each for 31 colleges, Rs 20 crore each for five universities, Rs 4 crore for upgradation of three colleges to model colleges and Rs 55 crore for upgradation of three colleges to universities.
Of 31 degree colleges selected for RUSA grants, only one has valid NAAC accreditation. In the last assessment carried out by NAAC team on December 10 last year, Chandbali College in Bhadrak district was given a B grade that would be valid till December 9, 2019. Similarly, none of the five universities - Utkal University, Sambalpur University, Berhampur University, Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) and Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT) - has valid NAAC grades.
The MHRD has sanctioned Rs 1 crore for each of the 31 colleges for undertaking first phase work that includes building science labs, additional classrooms and library upgradation. However, to avail these funds from the MHRD, the colleges need to renew their NAAC accreditation within six months of submitting the Letter of Intent (LoI) to the UGC. Most colleges are yet to submit the LoIs even as they have to produce the utilisation certificates for first phase RUSA funds before 2016-17 academic session.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Higher Education Department Gagan Dhal has asked principals of colleges and vice-chancellors of universities to form a project monitoring unit in their respective institutions to look into utilisation of RUSA funds and implementation of development works under the Central scheme.
At a review meeting this week, Dhal told the authorities of the institutions to get NAAC grades updated at the earliest for funds flow. He said once the first phase money reaches the project monitoring units of the higher education institutions, to be headed by either principals or vice-chancellors, it would be spent on purchasing equipment, books and e-learning materials.