Univ on course for accreditation from central body

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Trichy: Preparations for the third cycle of accreditation to Bharathidasan University from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) have been put on fast track. Newly-appointed vice-chancellor P Manishankar said he would visit each department to monitor the progress starting Thursday.

Accreditation to the Bharathidasan University (BDU) with ‘A’ Grade by the NAAC had expired in September last year. A steering committee will oversee the process in the third cycle with the accreditation lasting for five years.

The Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) started preparations based on the new set of guidelines from September 2017. However, the process had slowed down in the absence of a vice-chancellor.

The format of the data required had been sent to each department, Manishankar said, adding, “Data has to be collected under seven major criteria from all departments and submitted to the NAAC online. The main idea is to assess the ground reality in each department which would help us in planning.”

As per the new guidelines, data from the last five years pertaining to the performance of the university has been sought. Since it has to be submitted mostly in numeric and tabular form, it has to be filed online as part of the assessment.

Director of IQAC S Rajasekar said, “We are expediting the process to try and apply in the next cycle which falls in April/May. While scoring above three in the four-point scale is our target, NAAC accreditation becomes crucial to claim strategic funding from the University Grants Commission.”