Role of NAAC in Ensuring Quality on Higher Education in India: Issues and Challenges

NAAC is an autonomous institution established by the UGC with the prime agenda of assessing and accrediting institutions of higher learning with all objective of helping them to work continuously to ensure the quality on higher education. Assessment and Accreditation is broadly used for understanding the "Quality Status" of an institution. In the context of Higher Education, the accreditation status indicates that the particular Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) - a College, a University, or any other recognised Unit therein, meets the standards of quality as set by the Accreditation Agency, in terms of its performance, related to the educational processes and outcomes, covering the curriculum, teaching-learning, evaluation, faculty, research, infrastructure, learning resources, organisation, governance, financial well being and student services. The purpose of this paper is to focus upon the role of NAAC in enhancing the quality in defining the element of Higher Education in India through a combination of self and external quality evaluation, issues, challenges, promotion and sustenance initiatives. This paper makes a systematic study of the measures taken by NAAC to stimulate the Academic environment for enhancement of quality of teaching-learning and research in H.E. Institutions. And also to understand the level of awareness and improvements in many aspects of such H.E. Institutions post NAAC accreditation. It is very important to encourage self evaluation, accountability, autonomy and innovations in the Higher Education and undertake quality research work, consultancy and training programs and also collaborate with other stake holders of Higher Education for quality evaluation, promotion and sustenance. In this context NAAC challenges for the quality and excellence in its vision of every Higher Education institution and advocates the best practices, benchmark approaches for quality enhancement in Higher Education.