One would say that Amar Nath Rai took over as director of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in June 2013 at a crucial phase in Indian higher education, right after accreditation was made mandatory for institutions in March 2013. For Prof Rai, however, it was just an opportunity to explore a new dimension. “I’ve been a teacher, researcher and university administrator. But I thought this would give me an opportunity to work in quality assurance; a very niche area worth exploring. I took over as NAAC director with another two years left as vice-chancellor of North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong,” he says.
Prof Rai finds UGC’s move — accreditation made mandatory for higher education institutions — incidental. “UGC made it mandatory for a different reason. In our country, unless there is a law passed, nobody takes things seriously. As far as the accreditation process is concerned, it is mainly a voluntary exercise. If you aren’t interested in the quality of your institution, the law cannot do anything,” he says.
As a national agency whose mandate also is to facilitate a quality culture among higher education institutions, Prof Rai said NAAC has started the National Quality Renaissance Initiative. “This initiative will sensitise principals and vice-chancellors and convince them to embark on the process of quality improvement. Once the quality culture sets in, it’ll get into an auto-catalytic mode.”
More agencies required
One of the perks of mandatory UGC accreditation is that institutions become eligible to receive grants. The NAAC is expected to see a surge on this front. But with only 179 out of 651 universities graded, can NAAC do it alone? “Well, no. We’d take a very long time. We need more agencies, but it requires government policy to regulate them so that agencies don’t start selling accreditation certificates,” he says.
Informing us that Parliament is looking at a proposal to allow National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Education to permit private agencies to take up accreditation independently, he says if it comes through, NAAC’s burden will be lessened. “Even the UGC has set up a committee to draft guidelines for recognition and functioning of multiple accreditation agencies. Rashtriya Uchchtar Shiksha Abhiyan too provides for multiple agencies.” Those private accreditation agencies that do not have their own assessment manuals could use NAAC’s seasoned and tested methods, he suggests.
Private institutions are more conscious about the quality they offer, he observes. “This is a good thing. At least someone is showing interest. Government institutes are cocooned in their own comfy chairs and vice-chancellors are not very bothered. Even if it is for profit that a private institution runs, it’ll do a better job in quality assurance in order to retain its clientele,” he says.
Dundee serendipity
After completing postgraduation in biology with a gold medal from Banaras Hindu University in June 1976, Prof Rai went to University of Dundee, Scotland, for his PhD with a national scholarship. His work dealt with plant-microbe interactions.
“The story of how I applied for the scholarship is interesting. One day, I was unwell and stayed back in my hostel room. I was reading a novel borrowed from a friend. The form for this national scholarship was in this book. I asked him if he’d fill it up and he said he didn’t have the required first class marks. So, it just happened to come my way,” Prof Rai laughs.
Dundee was an easy choice for him compared to the other options of Michigan and Liverpool. “I wanted to work with Sir William Stewart, one of the young fellows of the Royal Society, where the world’s most eminent scientists come together. All my teachers had talked about him and we read his book while doing my master’s. I did exceptionally well in PhD, which I finished in less than three years. I was offered a post doc position there and stayed for six years,” he reminisces.
Science was serious
“In my time, science was as a much more serious business. People thought being a scientist was extraordinary; that you’d make discoveries. Engineering was purely for jobs, like in the Public Works Department,” he says. However, Prof Rai laments the decreasing seriousness among researchers. “The seriousness with which people pursue research seems to have come down. We never worked in a fixed 9 am to 5 pm schedule and no one forced us to work. That culture is disappearing.”
On the question of funding for science, Prof Rai says it is critical to ensure that available funds are targeted better. “Our project review system needs to be strengthened. We always try to accommodate more, so we give less. This is not right,” he opines.
Bharath@newindianexpress.com
