APPLICATION STUCK AMID LOCKDOWN, MU LIKELY TO ENTER 5TH YR WITHOUT NAAC GRADE
MUMBAI: The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown has again delayed the University of Mumbai’s (MU) plans to complete its accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
NAAC accreditation is a performance indicator for higher educational institutes and is mandatory for applying for funds from Central agencies. The university had been granted a ‘Grade A’ score by NAAC in 2012. However, the score expired in March 2017 after the university failed to apply for re-accreditation in time.
The university is now entering a fifth academic year without a NAAC grade as the accreditation process remains on hold. While the varsity submitted its self-study report (SSR) to the NAAC committee early this year, the council is yet to send a peer review committee for a visit to its campuses in Mumbai.
“Because of the pandemic and the lockdown in Mumbai, the peer review has not happened yet. We have completed our part of the application process and are waiting for the NAAC committee to visit,” said a senior official from MU.
The peer review team was expected for a visit in February. “A peer team is a contingent of various members. It’s a big team. It is likely that amid travel restrictions and strict quarantine rules, the council has not been able to put a team together,” said the official.
The university took a while to complete its application process and put together all documents. In December 2019, the varsity had submitted the institutional information for quality assessment (IIQA) and the same was approved by the apex grading body.
The process for SSR, however, got delayed as the university was shut for at least six months in 2020 due to the pandemic and eventual lockdown. While IIQA is a document recording the university’s compliance with the criteria and policies of the NAAC committee, SSR is a form of self-evaluation to identify strengths and rectify deficiencies.
“We are now waiting for the peer review team’s visit to our campuses. We are completely prepared for the next steps of the application process,” said Ravindra Kulkarni, pro-vice chancellor, MU.