UGC, in a bid to enhance the accreditation capacity, has decided to allow more accreditation agencies to take up the activity of providing recognition to Higher Education Institutes. In this regard, UGC has also notified University Grants Commission (Recognition and Monitoring of Assessment & Accreditation Agencies) Regulations, 2018.
UGC will set up an Accreditation Advisory Council (AAC) for recognition of Assessment and Accrediting Agencies (AAAs) which will comprise 10 members who would recommend AAAs to the the commission for recognition.
AAC will lay down norms and processes for assessment and accreditation of academic quality in HEI(s) or of programme(s) including Technical Education Programmes conducted therein by AAAs.
Any Government or Semi-Government agency can submit application for recognition as AAA. The said agency must also be registered as a Company u/s 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 or a society formed and registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 or a Trust formed under the Indian Trusts Act 1882 or any other law for the time being in force.
The AAA, after recognition, will base their assessment on verifiable and objective criteria and follow the standards in respect of academic quality specified by the Commission.
After UGC recognition of AAAs, any Higher Education Institute applying for recognition will have to provide three choices for accreditation agencies at the time of submitting their application.
At present there are only two accreditation agencies - National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and National Board of Accreditation (NBA).
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