New UGC rules permit third-party agencies to accredit higher education institutes

Among the new accreditation bodies will be one spearheaded by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), sources told The Indian Express. The premier engineering schools, in a meeting of IIT directors held in Chennai last month, have agreed to set up a Section 8 company, which will apply for a licence under the new UGC regulation.

The decision was taken at the behest of the Union government, which feels that the involvement of IITs will lend prestige to the accreditation process. The idea behind the UGC regulation permitting entry of more accreditation agencies is to take some of the burden off NAAC and NBA and, also, provide universities and institutes with more options.

The new regulations spell out the eligibility criteria for private players and agencies keen on being empanelled by the UGC as accreditation agencies. According to sources, the applicants should be a Section 8 company or a society and should have been in existence for at least three years. That apart, this agency should also have “assessment and accreditation” as one its main objectives under either its articles of association or memorandum of association.

The accreditation agencies to be empanelled by the UGC will be selected on the advice of the Accreditation Advisory Council (AAC). The AAC will be a 10-member body comprising distinguished academics and experts with proven track record in accreditation. It will be constituted by a high-powered committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

This AAC will vet all applications. One-third of its members will retire every two years, said sources.

The UGC regulation also spells out the five broad parameters on which all higher education institutes will be evaluated – curriculum design and development, teaching and learning outcomes, research and innovation, physical infrastructure and learning resources, student support, alumni contribution, leadership and management and institution’s values, among others.