The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has awarded an A+ to a girls’ college in south Calcutta, which in the last cycle got a B++.
NAAC awarded an A+ to Deshbandhu College for Girls at Rashbehari and an A grade to Barasat Government College.
The grades awarded were announced recently.
Barasat Government College, which was initially awarded a B++ grade, applied for a review, seeking a better grade. The college was awarded an A following the review, said a state higher education department official.
According to the official, with the college at Rashbehari securing A+, the number of Bengal colleges with the second-highest NAAC grade stands at 14.
Four colleges in Bengal have been awarded the highest grade, A++, till last year.
The number of colleges with an A grade now stands at 31.
Anita Chattopadhyay Gupta, the principal of Deshbandhu College for Girls, said the grade is valid for five years. It was based on a CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) of 3.34 out of 4 on a seven-point scale.
“The improvement in ranking will help us attract bright undergraduate aspirants as the admission through the state-run centralised admission portal opens for the government and aided colleges. The rating also exhibits the college’s commitment to general development through women’s empowerment and upholding high academic standards,” she said.
The NAAC peer team visited the college in February.
On a seven-point scale, the college has scored 3.70 in curricular aspects; 3.25 for teaching-learning and evaluation; 3.18 for research, innovation and extension; 3.50 for infrastructure and learning resources; 2.61 for student support and progression and governance; 3.90 for leadership and management; and 3.80 for institutional values and best practices.
The principal said the NAAC has recommended that they have the potential to apply for autonomous status.
“In the next cycle of accreditation, we hope to have ourselves elevated to A++ grade, the highest grade. We also want to open a science stream,” the principal told Metro.
The college has humanities and commerce streams.
When asked what it takes to secure the highest grade, an education department official said the score in all seven parameters must be above 3.
“This means the college has to deliver a stellar performance in all the parameters. The four colleges — Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara, Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Belur, St Xavier’s College and Behala College — which were awarded the highest grade (A++), had produced an outstanding performance in all parameters. So a college must have a vision for this,” the official said.
Madhumita Manna, the director of Public Instructions (DPI), said the performance of the Barasat Government College stands out because it is the first time that a college in Bengal has improved its grade through a review.
“The college had the confidence in its potential. So they could seek a review, leading to a rise in the grade,” said Manna.
Samar Chatterjee, the principal of the college, said: “We got the B++ grade in December 2024. But then we sought a review. Last week we were awarded the A grade. Our CGPA is 3.01.”
According to an official, the rise in the number of accredited colleges and the steady progress in colleges with A+ grade and A grade suggest that colleges are no longer opposed to getting themselves accredited by NAAC.
This newspaper reported in December 2015 that out of the 500-odd general degree colleges in West Bengal, only 72 had been accredited by the NAAC.
A higher education department official said on Tuesday that the number has now gone up to 330 and50-odd colleges are in the process of getting themselves accredited.
“A better grade helps a college to secure funds from bodies like UGC and DBT, which are must to improve the infrastructure,” the official said.