Claims of excellence illegal: VTU

Over the last few years, several rankings have been published by various agencies rating colleges on the basis of several parameters such as placements, faculty and infrastructure.
Critics have questioned the methodology of several of these surveys –– most based on unverified replies to questionnaires sent by the colleges themselves –– leading to doubts about the veracity of these rankings.

“It has been brought to the varsity’s notice that some affiliated colleges are using the ranking given by agencies for publicity. Most times, the agencies which give rankings are not recognised and their analysis is not comprehensive as they assess only a few engineering colleges as a case study,” the circular says.

As per the law, the National Bureau of Accreditation (NBA) has been mandated by the Union government to accredit engineering colleges. However, the accreditation is not mandatory, and many colleges have not undertaken it.

Recently, the Centre came out with a comprehensive Accreditation Bill which empowers private agencies that have registered with the government to offer rating services. The Bill, which is yet to be passed by the Parliament, also makes it mandatory for every college to be accredited.

Another initiative by the National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) to rank universities has also not taken off.