A One Day NAAC Awareness Workshop on Excellence in Higher Education: NAAC Assessment and Accreditation was held on January 21, 2019 at the Wheeler Senate House, Patna University, Patna. It was organised by the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Patna University, Patna in collaboration with National Assessment and Accreditation Council, (NAAC). Dr. Prathibha Singh, Deputy Advisor NAAC, Delhi and Mr. B.S. Ponmudiraj, Deputy Advisor NAAC, Bengaluru were the domain experts. Prof. Parimal Kumar Khan, the Development Officer cum Co-ordinator NAAC acted as the Organising Secretary.
The function was presided over by the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of Patna University, Patna Prof. Rash Bihari Pd. Singh. The Director, Higher Education, Govt. of Bihar Prof. Rekha Kumari was the Chief Guest. Prof. Dolly Sinha, Pro Vice Chancellor, Patna University and Director, IQAC, was also present. Dr. Prathibha Singh, Deputy Advisor NAAC, Delhi and Mr. B.S. Ponmudiraj, Deputy Advisor NAAC, Bengaluru enlightened the participants on the revised framework of NAAC assessment and accreditation process.
The workshop was attended by the Principals and NAAC coordinator of 48 colleges and the Registrar and NAAC coordinator of two Universities. The Deans of six faculties and a few Heads of Departments of Patna University also participated in the workshop. The workshop was divided in five sessions.


Online registration of participants had started on 15.01.2019. Spot registration was also done on the day of programme from 09:00AM to 10:00AM. Participants from 50 HEIs, 48 colleges and 2 universities registered for the workshop (list of participants attached as Annexure 1).

The Inaugural Session began with the rendition of the Kulgeet by the Patna University students and lighting the customary lamp by the dignitaries. The Pro Vice Chancellor and Director, IQAC, Patna University in her welcome speech introduced the NAAC officials. The NAAC Deputy Advisor Mr. B. S. Ponmudiraj delivered the keynote address in which he informed that since the inception of NAAC twenty four years back it has accredited 300 universities and 7000 colleges across various states of India. He further said that there are 28 universities in Bihar out of which only 7 are accredited by the NAAC. The accreditation once done is valid for 5 years after which an institution needs to be re-accredited. There are three steps of NAAC accreditation process: uploading of the IIQA i.e. Institutional Information for Quality Assessment, filing of the SSR i.e. Self Study Report and then the visit of the NAAC peer team. He further assured that the NAAC tries to reach out to different colleges with a multipronged approach. It assists institutions in various ways and one such mode is the workshop. Mr. Ponmudiraj further informed that since July 2017, the framework of NAAC accreditation process has been revised. Colleges and universities may have doubts regarding preparation of qualitative and quantitative data which can be clarified using e-mail ids or phone numbers provided on the NAAC website. He further observed that the NAAC values feedback and the process is transparent and scientific. The NAAC shall integrate the observations of the colleges and the universities. The very process of NAAC accreditation is an exercise in quality enhancement. Mr. Ponmudiraj appealed to the faculty members to get them registered as NAAC assessors. He also asked the Vice Chancellor and the Director, Higher Education to nominate senior faculty members as NAAC assessors. It is an opportunity for them to contribute to the domain of higher education and is also an opportunity to learn. He further requested the participating coordinators of NAAC from various colleges to prepare their SSRs on their own and not get it outsourced. The colleges could learn from each other by sharing of their experiences. He said that he was happy to be at Patna University and wished good to all those present.
The Director of Higher Education Prof. Rekha Kumari said that there are 13 universities and 262 colleges in Bihar and the Department of Education, Government of Bihar is responsible for quality control of all these institutions. She said that she was hopeful that all these institutions shall complete the process of NAAC accreditation as the very process ensures quality control and up-gradation. She assured the Patna University of all possible assistance from the Department of Higher Education, Government of Bihar. She applauded the initiatives taken by the Chief Minister of Bihar towards educating girl children. She wished that the Patna University get A-grade and also appreciated the steps taken for its preparation including the NAAC workshop. The Hon'ble Vice Chancellor of Patna University Prof. Rash Bihari Prasad Singh in his deliberation said that the colleges and universities need to work with a spirit of dedication. Only few colleges have been able to get A grade in Bihar while others have not been able although they have the required potential. He further said that regular sessions, transparent examination system and updated libraries are required to uphold the quality of education and the NAAC is very particular about these. He hoped that the workshop would go a long way towards sensitising Principals, NAAC Coordinators and Faculty Members towards the importance of NAAC. He further informed that the Raj Bhavan has also decided to hold a Two-Day Workshop on “A Road Map to Higher Education in Bihar”. The Vice Chancellor also talked about National Institutional Ranking and said that the colleges and universities should think about it seriously. He further stressed on quality research and advised the faculty members should also try to obtain patents. In his conclusive remarks the Vice Chancellor applauded the efforts of the SSR Preparation Cell, particularly the new faculty members who have been recently joined Patna University.
Prof. Parimal K. Khan, the NAAC Coordinator and Development Officer of Patna University concluded the inaugural session by delivering the vote of thanks. He thanked the Vice Chancellor for his dynamic leadership, the Pro Vice Chancellor for her industrious stewardship, the Director Higher Education for her gracious presence and the Deputy Advisors Dr. Pratibha Kumari from NAAC Delhi and Mr. B.S. Ponmudiraj from NAAC Bengaluru for sharing their domain expertise. He also thanked the delegates from different colleges and universities for ensuring their presence and active participation. He further thanked the team members of the NAAC SSR Preparation Cell namely Dr. Stuti Prasad, Dr. Birendra Kumar, Dr. B.K. Lal, Dr. Sovan Chakraborty, Dr. Sandeep Garg and Dr. Naqui Ahmad John for their dedication and hard work.

The first technical session was conducted on the topic of Revised Accreditation Framework (RAF): Overview and Process Flows. Dr. Prathibha Singh, Deputy Advisor NAAC Delhi was the resource person. The session was presided over by Prof. Shrikant Shrama, Senior NAAC Assessor. Dr. Pratibha Singh informed that the Delhi Office was opened in 2018 in order to address the challenges faced by the North Indian universities in a better manner as it was difficult to handle all the challenges from Bengaluru.
She informed that the Revised Framework of NAAC was launched in July 2017.Previously the windows were opened in two stages at specified timings but now this has changed and the window-method has been replaced with a step-wise accreditation system. In the new system Quality Indicator Framework (QIF) based on the three terms viz Formula, Intent And Weightage has been developed.
She then elaborated upon the IIQA i.e. Institutional Information for Quality Assessment which, she said, is a form needing basic accreditation compliance documents. The process would not involve more than 15 days if all the documents are provided by the intending institution. After the uploading of the IIQA there could be rounds of clarification only after which the IIQA shall be accepted. After the acceptance of the IIQA, the filing of the SSR i.e. the Self Study Report is done which entails providing of data under 99 heads in an organised fashion which has changed now. The present SSR is a questionnaire for the last five year’s data. As against the previous mechanism, now no word document is required. The SSR is completely online and has to be uploaded on the website. Payment of fees is also online and all the communication needs to be done through the NAAC portal.
DVV i.e. Data Validation and Verification is the next process for which some agencies have been empanelled by the NAAC. The SSRs submitted are sent to the DVV agencies for validation. This is a new component of the NAAC process. The SSS i.e. the Student Satisfaction Survey is the feedback collected from the students of the college or university. At least 10% of the students should respond to the queries in order to carry forward the process. As the last step the peer team visit is organised. The team visit ensures maximum objectivity. Dr. Prathibha Singh further informed that the Quality Indicator Framework is divided in seven criteria:








Under each criteria a few Key Indicators are identified. These Key Indicators are further delineated as Metrices which actually elicit responses from the HEIs. She further elaborated upon the qualitative and quantitative methods. The ICT enabled accreditation process was also elaborated upon. The entire process begins with the “Apply Online” button on the NAAC website before which the registration of the institution has to be done. The institution must have a username and a password. Even if the institution has got previously accredited they have to get re-registered. The NAAC co-ordinator shall communicate with the NAAC on behalf of the institution.


The second technical session was conducted on Institutional Preparedness: Before, During and After the Process of Assessment and Accreditation. It was chaired by Prof. Rajmani Prasad, former Vice Chancellor, Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Darbhanaga and a senior NAAC Assessor. Mr. B. S. Ponmudiraj was the resource person for this session. He informed all those present about the easy and friendly process of accreditation. His presentation on preparedness of the institution was divided into three spans viz. before the visit, during the visit and after the visit.
Before the visit the higher educational institutions should inform the stakeholders regarding the process of assessment and accreditation. All the Deans of Faculties, Heads of the Departments, Teachers, Students, Alumni and Parents should be informed about the process. The IQAC i.e. the Institutional Quality Assurance Cell should be created as a first step and all the required data should be provided to the IQAC by the stakeholders. He highlighted that the SSR preparation should be done by the stakeholders and not be outsourced. Separate committees for respective criteria should be formed for the smooth functioning of the process. With the help of departmental inputs the right set of people should be selected for different committees. Regular meetings should be held for the preparation of NAAC accreditation. The files which need to be uploaded should not be of a size of more than 1 MB. The required links and URLs should be put up on the website of the institution intending to get accredited. He further advised that inter and intra committee meetings should be held regularly. Heads of the Departments and Autonomous Colleges should present their own department-wise reports. Mr. Ponmudiraj informed that the peer team takes place after the acceptance of the Self Study Report. The entire process gets completed within a few weeks and the dates should be planned and finalised by the Higher Educational Institutions themselves. Hiring of private agencies should not be allowed for the purpose of NAAC accreditation. The DVV i.e. Data Validation and Verification is done by a third party empanelled by the NAAC. Recently the NAAC has introduced a provision for a second chance to rectify, update or withdraw a data provided earlier. He further advised the aspiring institutions to just provide two lunches and not present gifts or mementos to the visiting peer team members. He informed that there is a three day visit for the universities and a two day visit for the colleges. The entire process of visit should be video recorded and uploaded on the website of the institution. The schedule of the visit is recorded and signed by the Vice Chancellor and the Peer Team members. All necessary steps are taken to keep the things transparent and objective. For preparing the report after the visit a minimum infrastructural support including a laptop, internet is to be provided by the university.
After the visit is over the members of the peer team are not to be invited by the colleges or universities nor should the institutions remain in touch with the members of the visiting team as it is a part of the code of conduct. Within ten days of the visit of the peer team, the Principal of the college or the Vice Chancellor of the university may give feedback about the peer team members. After the grade is awarded, the award may be challenged if the institution is not satisfied. There is a provision for appeal, Mr Ponmudiraj informed. The anchor of the session Dr. G.B. Chand thanked Mr. Ponmudiraj for enlightening the delegates and invited the chairman of the session Prof. Rajmani Prasad shared his own experience with the NAAC as the Vice Chancellor of the L.N. Mithila University, Darbhanga. He applauded Mr. Ponmudiraj for his lucid presentation and encouraged the delegates to work for the betterment of higher education through NAAC accreditation.

The third technical session was related to Open Discussion and FAQ. The NAAC officials summarized the process of accreditation and presented the concluding remarks. They clarified quarries of a number of participations. Questions whether to include the post graduate departments of colleges in the profile of the university or not was asked. Queries regarding inclusion of publications in journals that have recently been removed from the UGC list of journals were also asked. Such questions made the session interactive and interesting.

In the Valedictory Session, the Organising Secretary of the NAAC Awareness Programme, Prof. Parimal K. Khan presented the report of the workshop. He then invited two participants to share their experience at the workshop. Thereafter, concluding remarks were given by the NAAC Experts. The vote of thanks was given by Dr. Birendra Kumar, the Treasurer of the NAAC Awareness Programme. Dr. Naqui Ahmad John and Dr. Sovan Chakraborty acted as rapporteurs for the workshop. The workshop formally came to an end with the singing of the national anthem.