KOCHI: A delay of more than a year in implementing the proposed reforms and updating the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has adversely affected colleges and universities across the country. Highlighting the seriousness of the issue, the institutions of higher education in the state have even approached MPs from Kerala to raise it in the Lok Sabha.
According to Gireesh Kumar G S, principal, Henry Baker College, Melukavu, and president of the Kerala Principals’ Council, the operational ecosystem remains incomplete more than a year after the announcement.
“Institutions continue to await the final assessment manuals, detailed metrics, standard operating procedures, digital workflows and complete implementation schedule for the new system. Although the policy direction is clear, the operational roadmap is still evolving,” Gireesh told TNIE.
He pointed out that all colleges and universities in India are affected as they are not in a position to proceed with accreditation processes — including submission of the annual quality assurance report (AQAR), updating of details on the NAAC portal (as the NAAC portal is shut), and preparation of files, registers and documents — as the revised system of accreditation has not yet been finalised.
“The challenge is not the reform itself. In fact, the proposed reform represents perhaps the most significant transformation in Indian higher education quality-assurance since the introduction of the Revised Accreditation Framework (RAF) in 2017. The concern is the prolonged transition,” he said.
In June 2024, NAAC announced the adoption of a new accreditation architecture based on the recommendations of the Dr K Radhakrishnan Committee. The reform envisages a two-tier system comprising Binary Accreditation (Accredited/Not Accredited) followed by Maturity-Based Graded Levels (MBGL), supported by digital verification, artificial intelligence and objective evidence-based assessment.
The transition from the existing Revised Accreditation Framework (RAF) to the proposed Binary Accreditation Framework and the subsequent Maturity-Based Graded Levels (MBGL) was conceived as a transformative reform. The objective was to make accreditation more transparent, technology-driven, objective and less susceptible to subjectivity. The reform promised to align accreditation with the aspirations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. “Unfortunately, the transition remains incomplete,” he added.
Consequently, institutions whose accreditation validity has expired — or is due to expire — are left without a functional pathway for reassessment, said Manzur Ali, principal, MES College, Marampally. “This prolonged transition has generated considerable uncertainty in institutional planning, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, and access to funding and academic collaborations,” he said.
Meanwhile, a top official with NAAC said the delay is not intentional. “All steps are being taken to ensure that the new manual is released soon. Also, institutions of higher education needn’t worry since they can get a continuance on their accreditation for six months by submitting an application. We are working towards solving (the issue),” he said.