Poor infra, faculty shortage deny NAAC rating for govt colleges in Karnataka

Government degree colleges in the state have a long way to go when it comes to achieving quality benchmarks as only 11.6% of them have got NAAC accreditation.

Of the 430 government degree colleges in the state, only 50 have received accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). This lack of NAAC accreditation reflects on the academics, infrastructure, teaching and research activities and staff strength.

Data from the department of collegiate education shows that 26 colleges are not even eligible to apply for NAAC. Some have not renewed the ranking even after four years.

This was one of the major subjects discussed during the recent meeting of the higher education minister with vice chancellors of state-run universities. The minister directed them to mentor colleges in their jurisdiction, help them apply for NAAC accreditation and submit an action plan to the department.

Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said, “We have set a target to accredit 230 government degree colleges in the next three years and to achieve this target, two NAAC coordinators have been appointed in the limits of each university.”

According to senior faculty members, lack of permanent principals, shortage of teaching and non-teaching staff, not having proper buildings and other infrastructure facilities are the major reasons for colleges not applying
for NAAC.

T M Manjunath, president of Karnataka Government College Teachers Association, said, “When there are no proper infrastructure facilities, shortage of teaching and non-teaching staff, how can a college get or apply for NAAC ranking?”

“If the government degree colleges apply for NAAC, majority of them will get ‘C’ grade, considering the poor infrastructure and learning resources,” said the principal of a college.