TNSAAC to start accrediting colleges from 2011-12

Updated on: Thursday, February 03, 2011

The Tamil Nadu State Academic Audit & Accreditation Council (TNSAAC), Chennai will start the process of accrediting the arts and science and teacher education colleges in the State on the pattern of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) from 2011-12, according to its chairman S.P. Thyagarajan.

Talking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the NAAC-sponsored State Level Seminar on ‘Innovative Approaches in Teaching-Learning Process' at the Adhiparasakthi College of Arts and Science at Kalavai on Wednesday, Dr. Thyagarajan said that out of the 3,600 arts and science and teacher education colleges in Tamil Nadu, only 724 have been accredited by NAAC. The Tamil Nadu government is planning to make it mandatory for all colleges, which have sent out one batch of students to get accreditation either from NAAC or TNSAAC. It has asked TNSAAC to ensure that all the arts and science and teacher education colleges in the State were quality-assessed, he said.

The TNSAAC chairman said that the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development has taken the initiative of forming a National Accreditation Authority as an overarching body for the purpose of approving State-level bodies engaged in accreditation of higher educational institutions. A Bill in this regard is expected to be passed in the forthcoming session of Parliament. Once the Bill is passed, the Authority will start the process of giving approval to State-level accreditation bodies. Accreditation by TNSAAC will gain greater value once it gets the approval of the proposed authority, he said.

Dr. Thyagarajan said that Tamil Nadu is the first State in the country to start a State-level council for accrediting colleges on the pattern of NAAC.

To begin with, the council will assess and accredit colleges, which are going in for the process for the first time. Colleges already accredited by NAAC would be asked to approach NAAC again for re-accreditation.

The council is currently engaged in the task of conducting seminars to sensitise the arts and science and teacher education colleges in the State to the need to go in for accreditation.

It has so far covered 200 colleges in Chennai, and the colleges affiliated to the Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Madurai Kamaraj University, Bharatiyar University, Coimbatore and the Teacher Education University, Chennai.

TNSAAC to start accrediting colleges from 2011-12

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