NITI Aayog suggests use of private bodies to carry out accreditation of Indian institutes

The think tank of the government, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog suggested the use of private bodies to accredit higher education institutions in India in order to clear the current backlog.

The idea was proposed in a meeting with the Prime Minister.

Currently, in India, even internationally reputed Indian institutions are not permitted to accredit Indian courses.

What officials have to say:

"It would require nine years to clear the backlog at this rate. Similarly, in technical education, only 1,000 programmes out of 12,000 programmes are accredited."

"If international bodies are allowed to conduct accreditation, the cost of accreditation will go up enormously since the foreign bodies would take much more resources to come into India and operate. This could then reflect in their fee structure," reported Hindustan Times.

Moreover, India is a signatory to the Washington accord that lays down standards and authorises only one agency in the country to carry out accreditation. Hence, the process of getting private players for accreditation may be quite tedious.

What does Accreditation mean?

Accreditation is a process by which the outcomes of the learning process are evaluated by a team of experts

It examines and certifies standards maintained in higher education using an outcome based approach

It acts as a guide in making choice of institutions based on assured quality

It helps institutions and academic administrators to focus on quality improvement in terms of both teaching and learning

More about accreditation of institutes in India:

Accreditation is mandatory for projects like Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)

It is granted for a period of five years

It has been made mandatory by AICTE for granting fresh courses and increase in student intake

Names in connection with the backlog and accreditation in India:

National Accreditation and Assessment (NAAC)

University Grants Commission (UGC)

National Board of Accreditation (NBA)

Source:- Indiatoday