Will grant autonomy to colleges with high NAAC grade: UGC

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to grant autonomy to colleges that have received highest accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), in two consecutive cycles.

In a meeting held earlier this week, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to grant autonomy to colleges that have received highest accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), in two consecutive cycles.

The circular made public by UGC states that apart from high NAAC grade, autonomy will be granted to only those institutes that adhere to UGC regulations. “A college which is accredited with the highest grade in two consecutive cycles from NAAC will be provided autonomous status provided it obtains “No Objection Certificate” from the affiliated university and provided it also adheres to UGC regulation including curbing the menace of ragging on campus, promotion of equality in higher education institutes, grievance cells on campus, etc, in letter and spirit,” states the circular.

University of Mumbai vice chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh too, on several occasions, has mentioned the need for colleges with NAAC ‘A’ grade to move towards autonomy as the varsity is currently looking after 750-odd affiliated institutes, which is stretching the mechanism in place.

This decision by the UGC also comes after several arguments by senior UGC officials as well as college principals, who have time and again stated that autonomy should be made easily available to institutes with ‘A’ Grade in NAAC. “The process to seek A Grade in NAAC is very lengthy and looks into all aspects of the working of the institute. The same process is then followed to seek autonomy. So might as well merge the two,” said the principal of a Bandra College.UGC will grant autonomy to colleges with high NAAC grade.