NAAC Introduces binary accreditation system for higher education institutions

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) decided on Saturday that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the country will now be classified as either "accredited" or "not accredited," replacing the previous accreditation system that assigned grades.

During the Saturday executive council meeting, the NAAC also resolved to award additional levels ranging from one to five to accredited institutions, with the aim of encouraging them to attain the highest possible level.

Both the binary accreditation system (accredited or not accredited) and the maturity-based graded accreditation (levels 1 through 5) will come into effect in the next four months and by December, respectively, following these reforms.

Furthermore, the accreditation authority intends to use the Maturity-Based Graded Accreditation system (Level 1 to 5) to incentivise accredited institutions to enhance their standards, aiming for the highest level of 5, denoted as "Institutions of Global Excellence for Multi-Disciplinary Research and Education."

 This level-grading approach aims to empower Indian institutions to significantly elevate their quality, positioning themselves among the global elite.

Under the current system, the outcome of the assessment is the final grading of institutions. 

Following assessment, the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is computed for institutions meeting the grade qualifiers. 

The final grade is then assigned based on a seven-point scale derived from the CGPA, aligning each letter grade with a specific score range.

A committee established by the ministry has recommended transformative reforms to fortify the periodic approval, assessment, accreditation, and ranking of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

The National Education Policy 2020 set a target of a 50 per cent Gross Enrollment Ratio by 2035, leading to the formation of a committee headed by K Radhakrishnan, former chairman of ISRO, in November 2022.

The committee, after public consultation, submitted its final report to the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on January 16.

As per the recommendations, the metrics for Binary and Maturity-Based Graded Accreditation prioritise assessing processes, outcomes, and impact across diverse attributes of HEIs, rather than focusing solely on inputs.