West Bengal is hurrying up its colleges to get the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation before a new system rolls in by the month of May that will make accreditation tougher. It has appointed mentors — from State-level to university-level — who are hand-holding institutions into finishing formalities by March 31.
There are close to 500 colleges in the State, and only 129 of them have the NAAC accreditation while 32 others are awaiting it. The accreditation not only entitles them to Central government and UGC funds but also establishes their reputation as an educational institution.
To get accreditation as of now, a college mainly has to show pass percentage and how many add-on courses it had, but once the new system is in place, it will be required to show placement or progression of students to higher studies or entrepreneurship. For some reason the colleges had remained hesitant, at least initially, about applying for NAAC accreditation. The State government now wants 100% accreditation.
