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NAAC chairperson resigns to ‘safeguard the sanctity’ of post
Patwardhan in February had written to the UGC in which he flagged the “possibility of vested interests, malpractices, and nexus” leading to “the awarding of questionable grades to some” higher education institutions and also expressed his intent to resign
National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) chairperson Bhushan Patwardhan resigned on Sunday, days after he alleged that some higher education institutions were obtaining grades through “unfair means.”
In his resignation letter to University Grants Commission (UGC), Patwardhan wrote that he had “nothing personal in this matter” and was aiming to “safeguard the sanctity” of the post of the head of NAAC.
NAAC is an autonomous body under the UGC that assesses and certifies higher educational institutions with grading as part of accreditation.
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Patwardhan in February had written to the UGC in which he flagged the “possibility of vested interests, malpractices, and nexus” leading to the awarding of questionable grades to some higher education institutions and also expressed his intent to resign.
Following this, the UGC appointed a new chairperson. However, on Friday (March 3), Patwardhan wrote to the UGC, saying the commission misinterpreted his intent to resign on February 26 as “a letter of resignation.”
Patwardhan was appointed chairperson of the NAAC executive committee in February 2022.
Mentioning that he is resigning in the larger interest of the UGC and the Indian education system, he wrote, “After careful reconsideration of the entire subject, I hereby resign from the position of Chairman of the Executive Committee, NAAC, Bengaluru, in the larger interest of the UGC, NAAC, and Indian higher education system with immediate effect i.e. on Monday, March 6, 2023 forenoon.”
“I wish to reiterate that I had nothing personal in this matter, but it was an act to safeguard self-respect and the sanctity of the post of Chairman EC and the NAAC,” the letter read.
Despite multiple attempts, Patwardhan could not be reached for comment. An official statement from the UGC is also awaited.
