The University Grants Commission (UGC), in its efforts to enhance the accreditation capacity, is likely to set up more accreditation agencies for providing recognition to Higher Education Institutes.
UGC is also expected to set up an Accreditation Advisory Council (AAC) for recognition of Assessment and Accrediting Agencies (AAAs). The council will comprise 10 members who would recommend AAAs to the commission for recognition.
AAC will also be responsible to devise norms and processes for assessment and accreditation of academic quality in Higher Education Institutes or their programme(s) including Technical Education Programmes conducted therein by AAAs.
Any Government or Semi-Government agency can submit application for recognition as AAA. The said agency must also be registered as a Company u/s 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 or a society formed and registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 or a Trust formed under the Indian Trusts Act 1882 or any other law for the time being in force.
After recognition, The AAA will provide its assessment on verifiable and objective criteria and follow the standards specified by the UGC in respect of academic quality.
After UGC’s recognition of AAAs, any Higher Education Institute applying for recognition will have to provide three choices for accreditation agencies at the time of submitting their application.
At present there are only two accreditation agencies – National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and National Board of Accreditation (NBA).
