Telangana government moots accreditation plans

HYDERABAD: The TS State Council for Higher Education will look at options to establish mechanism similar to the one run by the Kerala education department for giving accreditation to degree and PG colleges. A separate body will be constituted and tasked with the responsibility of assessing all degree and PG colleges. Accreditation will then be granted under different categories.

The Kerala government is considering implementing the system from the next academic year after the state Cabinet approved it, according to Telangana state officials. A delegation led by TSCHE chairman Prof.N. Papi Reddy that studied higher education practices in Kerala, said accreditation by a state agency will ensure all colleges give top priority to improving facilities and infrastructure. It will enable institutions to apply for the National Assessment and Accreditation Council, he said.

“The awareness in colleges about NAAC has increased over the last few years. Colleges that have NAAC accreditation get special assistance and funds for research and development,” he said. The TS council has invited NAAC director to preside over a one-day session for principals of degree and PG colleges here. Former NAAC director B.S. Prasad said Kerala was the first state to work on the idea of a state accreditation system. However, care should be taken so that there is no duplication of assessment by state and national agencies, he said.

Dr Ch. V. Purshotham Reddy, chairman of Chaitanya Degree and PG College, Warangal, one of the few colleges that got NAAC accreditation in 2012, said recognition from the national body would enhance the college’s reputation and help it benefit from various schemes.