74% of universities in Gujarat lack NAAC accreditation, shows data

Of the 108 total universities in the state, the NAAC data accessed by The Indian Express reveals that 80 varsities never applied for assessment while the accreditation expired for another eight universities. Only 26 per cent of the total universities are, at present, NAAC accredited, the data shows.

The drop in the number of varsities seeking accreditation was observed after the state government in the academic year 2014-15 removed the clause for NAAC accreditation from the Gujarat Private Universities Act 2009. Later, however, the state government re-introduced the clause, revealed a senior government official.

Of the 80 universities without accreditation, over 62 per cent are private varsities. Out of a total 65 private universities, 50 never applied for the NAAC assessment. Eleven state and eleven private universities (including sectorial, central and deemed) – out of total 108 — have been accredited by the Council, of which the accreditation of 20 is valid.

The increase in the number of non-NAAC accredited universities is claimed to be the reason for the state government to table the Gujarat Private Universities (Second Amendment) Act, 2O23, which was also unanimously passed by the Assembly last month. With the amendment, private universities in the state have to take accreditation of NAAC within five years of establishment. The reintroduction of the clause is expected to bring a surge in the accreditation figures.

With an NAAC accreditation, a review process of an institution is in place to know its strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, and collegiality on the campus. Funding agencies look for objective data for performance funding, giving a new sense of direction and identity for institutions.

While prospective students pick their choice of institutions on the basis of assessment, employers look for reliable information on the quality of education offered to prospective recruits as some of the benefits of the accreditation.
As he tabled the Bill during the last day of the Monsoon Session of the Legislative Assembly, Minister of State for Education Praful Pansheriya said at the time, “The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 recommends an effective quality self-regulation or accreditation system at all stages of education to ensure compliance with essential quality standards.”

With appropriate accreditation, institutions could evolve into research-intensive or teaching-intensive institutions and this would help in building the reputation of the Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) and most importantly signifies the quality of Education, he had stated.

Some of these public universities without a valid NAAC accreditation are Gujarat University in Ahmedabad, Children’s University in Gandhinagar, and Gujarat Ayurved University in Jamnagar.

Among the affiliated colleges, the situation is worse. Over 82 per cent of colleges never applied for NAAC. The 2022-23 data reveals that out of 2,898 total colleges, 2,424 had never applied for the assessment while for another 373, the accreditation expired. Among these 2,424, a majority share (1134) are private colleges.

Barely 472 colleges were NAAC accredited in Gujarat among which only 99 have a valid NAAC and for the remaining 373, the accreditation is already expired. Among these 373, over 265 are grant-in-aid institutes.