A Reflection on NAAC Accreditation of Tamenglong College
In 2021, an article was published (by Dr. Gaikhuanlung Ngaomei and
Ngamtinlun Touthang) in The Tamenglong Times, about the need for National
Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation for Tamenglong
College. In that article, the authors argued that if NAAC accreditation does
not happen on time, the fate of Tamenglong College, the lone Higher Education
Institute (HEI) in the district, could be at stake. The idea was that if a HEI
doesn’t get NAAC assessed, it can be de-recognised, merged with nearby institute,
or even closed down in a worst situation. After a long and strenuous journey, the
College get assessed by NAAC Peer Team comprising
of Dr. Muthuchelian Krishnasamy, Vice-Chancellor, Periyar University, Dr. Shyam
Bhat N., Former Professor, Goa University, and Dr. Chandrakant Rawal, Former
Principal, Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce, on 7th and 8th of March 2023. On 10th March 2023, NAAC declared the result of its
Peer Team visit accrediting the College with B-Grade with a CGPA of 2.01.
In Manipur, and beyond, there are many colleges which received higher grade, but considering the remote location, infrastructure, and human resources of the College, getting B-Grade is a no mean achievement. For this to happen, many doors had been knocked to meet the requirements for NAAC Peer Team visit. In the process, the staff and students of the College had sacrificed enough. There was also help from different quarters, including CSOs, political leaders, intellectuals, and alumni.
However, it may be kept in mind that getting NAAC assessed for the first cycle meant the beginning of the journey for the second cycle. In the first cycle, NAAC is usually lenient but in the second cycle, the assessment will be more rigorous. In other words, with the kind of facilities the College has at present, getting NAAC accreditation for the second cycle will not be easy.
So, to retain the accreditation and improve the grade, the College needs to upgrade its infrastructure and facilities provided. At present, some of the urgent issue which need immediate attention are: insufficient rooms for class and offices, separate buildings for library, administrative block, and science block, hostels for students and quarters for staff, science and computer laboratories, adequate teaching and non-teaching staff, sports facilities ,museums, and so on. To bring in all these need the attention of all stakeholders including the government, political leaders, civil society, and local people. Besides, with the implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and the introduction of new syllabus by Manipur University, the library needs complete overhaul so as to meet the requirements of the teachers and students.
In Manipur, and beyond, there are many colleges which received higher grade, but considering the remote location, infrastructure, and human resources of the College, getting B-Grade is a no mean achievement. For this to happen, many doors had been knocked to meet the requirements for NAAC Peer Team visit. In the process, the staff and students of the College had sacrificed enough. There was also help from different quarters, including CSOs, political leaders, intellectuals, and alumni.
However, it may be kept in mind that getting NAAC assessed for the first cycle meant the beginning of the journey for the second cycle. In the first cycle, NAAC is usually lenient but in the second cycle, the assessment will be more rigorous. In other words, with the kind of facilities the College has at present, getting NAAC accreditation for the second cycle will not be easy.
So, to retain the accreditation and improve the grade, the College needs to upgrade its infrastructure and facilities provided. At present, some of the urgent issue which need immediate attention are: insufficient rooms for class and offices, separate buildings for library, administrative block, and science block, hostels for students and quarters for staff, science and computer laboratories, adequate teaching and non-teaching staff, sports facilities ,museums, and so on. To bring in all these need the attention of all stakeholders including the government, political leaders, civil society, and local people. Besides, with the implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and the introduction of new syllabus by Manipur University, the library needs complete overhaul so as to meet the requirements of the teachers and students.
Therefore,
all stakeholders and well-wishers must continue supporting the College not only
to retain NAAC accreditation but also to improve the overall quality education
in the district. Otherwise, this first cycle accreditation, which is valid for
five years, can turn out to be an obstacle for further assessment in future.
(Ngamtinlun Touthang is Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Tamenglong College and Ninglu is Associate Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, Tamenglong College)
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