Date:12/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/12/stories/2006111201600500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Government pulls up 49 colleges

Special Correspondent

Grant-in-aid withheld; institutions approach NAAC for reassessment

Bangalore: Poor grades not only give jitters to students, sometimes to colleges too. Forty-nine private aided first grade colleges have been pulled up by the Government for "sliding down in standards". The Government has withheld grant-in-aid to these colleges for dropping below "B" grade in the assessment by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). These colleges have approached the council for reassessment.

A "peer team" of academicians and administrators has visited some of these colleges and a few have since been upgraded to "B" and five more colleges are expected to get better grades shortly.

The criteria for assessment include standards curriculum, teaching, evaluation, research, consulting and extension, infrastructure, student support, organisational management and healthy practices.

Institutions have to score at least 55 per cent to be eligible for assessment. The earlier grading system was to accord a college or institution "stars". This was given up after opposition from several institutions and a nine-point grading scale was introduced.

Under the present system, colleges are graded A ++, A +, A and up to C, depending on their academic and other standards. The lowest "C" grade will have ratings of 55 per cent to 60 per cent and the highest grade of A ++ will get 95 per cent to 100 per cent.

Some NACC officials are reported to prefer straight A, B and C grades and would rather see an institution is either accredited or not. Colleges do not favour this approach. NACC officials say assessments are meant to help a college better understand its own strengths and weaknesses and take corrective steps. The council does not feel any government should use grades for punitive purposes.

The 49 colleges in the State have one more year to improve their standards and get better grades. If they continue to fare badly, their grants will be suspended. This could mean the loss of nearly 2,000 jobs. Some of these colleges are keeping some lecturer posts vacant and this is causing concern.