The two-day consultations on ‘Quality Assurance in Higher Education’ organised by the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) concluded here on Thursday.
Tools and international practices for quality assessment in higher education was the theme of the day.
Axel Aerden, Senior International Policy Advisor, NVAO, The Hague, The Netherlands, shared the European experience in assessing and accrediting higher educational institutes. Antony Stella, Commissioner, Commission for Academic Accreditation, Abu Dhabi, spoke on Middle Eastern and India experiences.
Regarding higher education in India, National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) former chairman A Gnanam said: “There is no doubt that accreditation system in India needs a revamp. Also, the system of affiliated institutions prevailing in India needs to be changed completely,” he said.
The need for setting up multiple accreditation bodies for higher education in the country and also course-specific accreditation bodies were among the topics discussed at the meeting. The consultations were meant to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the State Assessment and Accreditation Council (SAAC), which is to be set up by the KSHEC.