Last updated time: 08 March 2023, 17:15 IST
NAAC said processes within the council are “continually improving” (Representational Image)
After former NAAC chairman Bhushan Patwardhan resigned on March 5, he alleged that several universities were getting “dubious marks” from the UGC through unfair methods.
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has said that the entire process of accreditation and assessment of educational institutions will be conducted in a transparent and professional manner. “The system cannot be covered because the entire process is decentralized, transparent and available to interested parties…”, the council’s official statement said.
This comes after chairman Bhushan Patwardhan resigned on Sunday, March 5, alleging that several universities were unfairly getting “dubious marks” from the University Grants Commission (UGC). NAAC said processes in the council are “continually improving”.
On February 26, Patwardhan first expressed his desire to resign, raising questions about accreditation procedures. In a letter to UGC chairman M Jagadesh Kumar, Patwardhan said that vested interests were tampering with the established rules governing accreditation methods. NAAC is an autonomous body under the commission that evaluates and certifies higher educational institutions (HEIs) within the framework of accreditation.
In his resignation letter to Kumar yesterday, Patwardhan said he had “nothing personal in this matter” and was trying to “maintain the sanctity” of the post he was appointed to in February last year. “After a careful reconsideration of the entire matter, I hereby resign as Chairman of the Executive Committee of NAAC, Bengaluru in the greater interest of UGC, NAAC and the Indian higher education system, with immediate effect on Monday, March 6. 2023 evening,” Patwardhan wrote in his resignation letter.
Following this, Kumar appointed former All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe as NAAC chairman on March 3.
Earlier, Patwardhan had objected to the move to appoint Sahasrabude to his place, saying it was done without informing him. Then on March 4, he wrote a separate letter to the UGC chairman, saying the commission had misinterpreted his intention to resign on February 26 as a resignation letter.
In an earlier letter, he asked the Ministry of Education (MOE) to conduct a thorough independent investigation into the matter. Patwardhan also demanded that those responsible for this serious blunder be brought to book in the interest of justice to protect the individual rights, dignity and sanctity of the UGC, NAAC and Institutions of Higher Education (HEIs) in the country.
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