Private Accreditation – A Boon OR Curse?

In a very astounding and one of a kind move, education ministry had opened new doors for private bodies for accreditation roles in India. Private firms can now gain the rights for accrediting institutes spread out in one of the largest education markets of the world. Back in January, UGC, who is the current holder of institute accreditation rights, decided that apart from its sub-bodies, NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) and NBA (National Board of Accreditation), the rights can now be shared by private firms as well. While this a pretty shocking news, the relevance and the credibility of institutional accreditation in India has come under strong criticism as a concurrence to this decision. Let us look into the present state and the proposed private accreditation policies and the impact it will create in the education sector.You can check the formal letter send by UGC inviting the private Accreditation here

What does it mean to be Accredited?

In this post-independence era, India’s higher education system has evolved and grown double fold to become the world’s third-largest Higher education systems followed by China and USA. One of the major role players in this highly spread education system is the University Grants Commission (UGC) which is India’s tertiary level governing body responsible for university accreditation. So what exactly is accreditation and what does it mean to be accredited?With numerous private and government held universities opening in India, it becomes even more essential to have a strict governance to ensure that these institutes are upholding the best of quality in providing education for our future generation. Accreditation is a process by which the respective bodies regulates and makes sure that each of the institutes under their domain is following strict protocols set towards imparting education, conducting admission drives, placements and appointments in each of these institutes. Moreover, Accreditation bodies also make sure that these institutes are accountable for their curriculums and institute credibility.

UGC – University Grants Commission

UGC which was modeled after the University Grants Committee of UK was set up after the protocols drafted under the UGC Act of 1956 under the HRD Ministry. Primarily the body was set to govern three major Central institutes of the time, Aligarh, Banaras, and Delhi University but now UGC is the governing and accreditation body for a lot more institutes. Although UGC is the main body, there are various sub-bodies that cater to different types of universities and looking after various aspects of its working. These range from appointments to grants to university recognition. These sub-bodies consist of

•    All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)
•    Distance Education Council (DEC)
•    Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
•    Bar Council of India (BCI)
•    Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College (BTESSC)
•    National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)
•    Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI)
•    Medical Council of India (MCI)
•    Pharmacy Council of India (PCI)
•    Indian Nursing Council (INC)
•    Dental Council of India (DCI)
•    Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH)
•    Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM)
•    National Council for Rural Institutes (NCRI)
•    State Councils of Higher Education (SCHE)
•    Council of Architecture
•    Veterinary Council of India (VCI)

Apart from this, in January 2018, it was decided that various private firms can now be applicable for accreditation rights. So what does private accreditation mean for the industry?

The Private Accreditation

After the major decision to scrap AICTE and UGC for a new Higher Education Body, HECI, a new direction was taken in incorporating private firms along with UGC to accredit the institutes in India. Currently, only The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) under the UGC body were authorized to accredit institutes. Although the move was under debate, it has been finally given the green flag by the HRD Ministry recently. The Ministry said that the decision was taken after a heavy burden was seen shouldered by the two bodies and with a third-party entry, the hope of lessening this burden and proper channeling of protocols can be made sure but the decision isn’t sitting well with any member of the industry.Prof. R.K. Chauhan, the former vice-chancellor of Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology in Hisar, Haryana, said

“if the NAAC and the NBA were overburdened, the government should have opened more branches. “Why are private entities being allowed to do assessment and accreditation under the garb of semi-government agencies? Allowing private entities in any manner means accreditation grade for sale.”

Major concerns emerging from the decision is the sudden outbreaks of rules and regulations that are hell bound on changing the ways the industry has been working. The recent controversy over picking Jio institute for the Institute of Eminence tag, an institute that has not been yet built and even shutting down of more than 250 fake universities have all been creating a big question mark over the credibility of the highly reputed Indian education board.

Private Accreditation – The Pros Column

Under the new private accreditation scheme, a new accreditation body which is being pushed forward by various IITs and premier engineering colleges of the country have agreed on setting up a section 8 company to oversee the accreditation and its protocols. The idea behind this decision is that the involvement of IITs and premier colleges will add more value and prestige quotient to the accreditation. The decision also hopes to spearhead a smooth and more efficient accreditation process for the institutes.

Private Accreditation – The Cons Column

While the new movement claims to carry forward effective accreditation methodology, eyebrows are raised over how commercialization is overshadowing the new decision.

“Accreditation and assessment are key to ensuring quality in higher education. The majority of the institutions coming up in India are in the private sector. If some private entity is involved in assessment and accreditation, impartiality cannot be ensured,”

says Prof. R.K. Chauhan, former vice-chancellor of Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology in Hisar, Haryanaon the same matter, Rajesh Jha, a member of Delhi University’s executive council, said:

“The government is trying to promote privatization of higher education. It wants top colleges to take autonomous status to start self-financing courses. It wants to give institution of eminence status to Jio Institute, which is yet to be set up. Now it is involving private entities in accreditation also.”

You can check out the formal protocols and regulations that has been set by UGC as a deciding criteria for private bodies for Accreditation eligibility hereThe debates have already been sparked over the sudden reform changes to one of the most prestigious activities within the higher education industry. The biggest concern is the impending commercialization of the education sector and the way it is bound to slowly lose its credibility and a strong lineage that it has managed to preserve till date