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GIPE to reapply for NAAC accreditation next year; starts new R&T centre in Hingoli
GIPE has announced multiple initiatives aimed at strengthening its community engagement and academic outreach, said vice-chancellor Umakant Dash
PUNE: The Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) – one of the country’s oldest and most reputed social science institutes – has announced multiple initiatives aimed at strengthening its community engagement and academic outreach even as it works towards regaining its earlier National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grade.
GIPE vice-chancellor (VC) Umakant Dash on Thursday told media persons that the institute has recently started a new rural research and training centre at Hatta in Hingoli district. “We have launched this centre with a focus on understanding the problems faced by people in rural areas. Through this centre, we will take up projects from villagers and study whether or not they are receiving the benefit of various government schemes. We want to identify the issues and gaps on the ground,” Dash said.
Dash informed that students from the GIPE will be visiting Hatta for 10 to 15 days at a time to interact with villagers, study their challenges, and work on practical solutions. “This will help our students develop a deeper understanding of rural realities and enhance their research capabilities. After Hatta, we plan to open similar centres in other parts of the state,” he said.
The centre will also conduct surveys related to heavy rainfall, drought, and human-wildlife conflict, providing valuable data for policy studies. “Our aim is to bridge the gap between academic research and real-life rural development,” Dash said.
On the academic front, Dash acknowledged that the GIPE’s recent downgrade by the NAAC to ‘B’ with a score of 2.49 out of 4 was a setback. “We were not able to present all the required documents properly during the last NAAC assessment, which affected our overall score. However, we are already working to address those shortcomings and will reapply for NAAC accreditation next year. We are confident that our performance will improve significantly,” he said.
GIPE - which had previously secured an ‘A+’ grade with 97.4 out of 100 in 2004 and an ‘A’ grade with a CGPA of 3.07 in 2016, saw its rating drop for the 2017–2021 assessment period, raising concerns among its stakeholders. Addressing student concerns, Dash said, “We understand that students are increasingly focused on placement opportunities. Last year, our placement numbers were not as strong as we hoped, but we are taking corrective steps to ensure better results this year. We are strengthening our industry collaboration and outreach efforts.”
Dash concluded by reiterating that GIPE remains committed to academic excellence, social relevance, and field-based learning. “We may have faced some challenges recently, but we are using them as an opportunity to introspect, rebuild, and come back stronger,” Dash said.
