‘NAAC assessing method is more objective now’

Over the three days of their visit,the committee interacted with the different administrative as well as academic departments,faculties,alumni and even parents. In the process,the committee was made aware of the various problems that each department had been facing.

Delving deeper into how NAACs model of assessing has changed,Thyagarajan said,“Like everything else,even NAAC is evolving with time. Now,a lot more objectivism has been brought into NAACs parameters. We have divided our assessment into seven criteria which are further divided into 35 key parameters. So the judging has become much more objective now.”

NAAC has also started training its staff who are sent to assess universities or colleges.

“NAAC has started a very stringent training for all its assessors. Without passing this training,the staff cannot become an assessor. There needs to be a uniform method of approach towards everything and that is what we are trying to do here,” elaborated Thyagarajan.

Another new feature in the NAACs model is that of a new quality parameter. “We have recently introduced another qualifying parameter where there are 25 core and 25 desirable indicators. For any university to qualify as Grade A,the university needs to satisfy 75-80 per cent of the indicators,” added Thyagarajan.

To ensure that what the universities project infront of the NAAC committee is the real picture,NAAC will also be starting an annual quality assurance report (AQAR),a copy of which has to be sent to the vice chancellor,principal or the management. The first AQAR of UoP will be submitted in January 2012. Also,each university will have to set up an academic and administrative audit committee which will assess the works of the university once in three years. All these steps have been taken so that when the NAAC committee comes on their next visit,they have enough authentic documentation about the universities work in the last five years.

When Thyagarajan was asked why was the committee made to stay in a private hotel even after the university had its own guest house,Thyagarajan said,“We had wanted to stay in the campus guest house because it would have given us a feel of the university and also would have made the officials improve the condition of the guest house if there was the need. However,we stayed in a hotel because of logistic reasons.”

The team also said that the UoP is considered one of the top layered universities in the country. “UoP is considered one of the best universities in terms of research and we hope that it will continue with the good work in the future,” added Thyagarajan.