Panel to recommend mandatory KSAAC rating

Updated on: Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The committee headed by the former NAAC chairman A.Gnanam set up to facilitate the formation of the KSAAC intends to make to the Kerala State Higher Education Council some major recommendations like all colleges, universities, and teachers in the State should undergo mandatory assessment and rating by the proposed Kerala State Assessment and Accreditation Council (KSAAC). Government funding to all higher education institutions should be tied to the rating that each institution receives.

Committee convener R. Jayaprakash told a press conference here on Monday that self-financing colleges and professional colleges, save those under the Kerala Agriculture University, would also come under the purview of the proposed the KSAAC, which would be an autonomous body under the Higher Education Council.

The methodology for assessment and rating of institutions would be worked out later. The committee would hold discussions with all stakeholders in higher education, particularly with teachers' organisations before finalising its recommendations. “Even though college teachers will be assessed and rated, the committee has no plans now to recommend a linkage between such rating and the career prospects of teachers,” he said.

The committee has proposed five ‘authorities' for the KSAAC: a 30-member general council, a 10-member executive committee, a president, a chairman and a director. While the Minister for Education would be the president of KSAAC and would preside over the meetings of the general council, the executive committee would be headed by the chairman. The vice-chairman of the Higher Education Council would be the ex-officio chairman of the KSAAC. The director would be the executive head of the proposed council, Dr. Jayaprakash said.

Apart from the Minister, the Secretary, Higher Education; directors of medical education, technical education and college education; the Executive Vice-President of the Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment; a nominee of the UGC; nine educationists of repute nominated by the government; all Vice-Chancellors in the State; and the member-secretary of the Higher Education Council would be members of the general council.

Apart from a chairman, the executive committee would have as its members the Secretary, Higher Education; the member-secretary of the Higher Education Council; a nominee of the UGC; two educationists nominated by the government; and three Vice-Chancellors in the order of seniority of service.

There would also be seven-member academic bodies for each field of specialisation that would advice the KSAAC on assessment and rating. The actual assessment and accreditation would be done by three-member peer teams headed by the Vice-Chancellor of the university. All members of peer teams would be from a panel of experts from outside Kerala to be drawn up by the KSAAC, Dr. Jayaprakash said.

The final report of the Gnanam committee would be submitted to the Higher Education Council by the end of June 2012, he added.

Committee chairman A. Gnanam told the press conference that he did not want the KSAAC to become a regulatory agency. The council should eventually become a national player in the assessment-accreditation arena, he said. Once the council identifies the weaknesses of institutions, funding should be targeted at mitigating those weaknesses, he added.

Panel to recommend mandatory KSAAC rating

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