OU fit in all respects, will pass NAAC test, say experts

Varsity was last assessed by the team in 2008, given Grade A accreditation which was valid till 2013

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) team visited Osmania University on Thursday. The NAAC team will be visiting the university for the next couple of days-till August 19 to examine various aspects of their teaching processes before granting the university a grade. The Osmania University was last assessed by NAAC in 2008 and was given a Grade A accreditation. The accreditation was valid till February 2013. The NAAC accreditation plays a key role in the development of a university as the funds to be given by University Grants Commission and other national funding agencies depend on the grade given to the university.

OU Vice-Chancellor Professor S. Ramchandran gave a presentation to the NAAC team on the first day of the inspection. Battu Satyanarayana of OU Teachers Associations said, “NAAC team visited the university on Thursday morning around 9 am. The team has examined the progress of the university in the last five years. They have interacted with the students, teachers and principals of the affiliated colleges. On Friday, they will visit all other departments. On Saturday, August 19, they will submit their final report.”

The Osmania University has applied for NAAC accreditation after a gap of four years. In 2008, the University was given an A grade which expired in February 2013, after which the university did not reapply. Prof. Ramachandran said the university could not apply earlier for the NAAC due to unexpected situations on the campus. He added that last year too the administration was busy with centenary celebrations and therefore could not apply.

Outside the campus, there are rumours that the university has a severe shortage of faculty which may affect its grading. But the teaching staff doesn’t seem to think so. Assistant Professor Dr C.H. Parandamulu said, “Even central universities, IITs and IIMs have a lot of posts that are lying vacant. More than 30 per cent of the state universities have vacancies and more than 50 per cent of teaching posts are lying vacant in the country. A former UGC-NAAC director has stated that vacant teaching posts cannot be deciding point for the NAAC grades.”