UGC Issues Important Instructions For Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to ensure that higher education institutions should get accredited with a minimum score of 2.5 by the 2022, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued special instructions in this regard.

The Commission has been consistently striving for excellence with a specific focus on quality. Accreditation is considered as one of the most significant and globally recognised means to ensure quality of the education system. Hence, University Grants Commission (Mandatory Assessment and Accreditation of higher Educational Institutions) Regulations 2012 were notified to make it mandatory for each Higher Education Institution to get accredited by the Accreditation Agency after passing out of two batches or six years, whichever is earlier.

“To accomplish this target, UGC introduced a new initiative called "Paramarsh" in the year 2019 for mentoring the non-accredited institutions. This initiative intends to promote well-performing accredited institutions to mentor the NAAC accreditation aspiring institutions to upgrade their academic performance and get accredited,” UGC notification read.

UGC secretary in a letter said, a well-designed scheme of Mentor-Mentee relationship will not only benefit both the institutions but also lead to quality education for the students who are currently enrolled in the Indian higher education system.

It is pertinent to mention here that 167 Mentor Institutions have been approved so far under "Paramarsh" to mentor 936 non-accredited higher education institutions.

The list of the Mentor Institutions may accessed on the official UGC website, www.ugc.ac.in.

“We are aware of the fact that there are still a large number of institutions which are yet to be accredited. These institutions are expected to make all out efforts to get themselves accredited at the earliest. Moreover, the NAAC accreditation aspiring institutions may seek guidance from the Mentor Institutions as well as other high performing institutions so that they can get an exposure to the best practices,” UGC Secretary letter read.