Jadavpur University has asked the departments to provide “specific data” and supporting documents to prepare the self-study report ahead of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) visit for re-accreditation, a yardstick that denotes the academic excellence of a university.
The university had ranked ‘A’ with a CGPA (cumulative grade point average) credit of 3.68 out of 4.00 during the last NAAC assessment, in 2014.
A JU official said that after registering a slip last week in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), an evaluation exercise carried out by the education ministry, the authorities had decided to give emphasis on submitting “specific data” and supporting documents in the report.
Although the accreditation body will inspect the university next year after getting the report, it gives substantial weightage to the report’s content.
A notice issued by registrar Snehamanju Basu on September 10 states: “JU is getting ready for NAAC peer team visit for reaccreditation in the upcoming session 2022-23. As part of this process, we would need to collect specific data and supporting documents from all stakeholders as per the new format specified by NAAC and submit a self-study report to NAAC by March 31, 2022. The university has made the provision of data entry in Campus Canvas portal….”
An official of the university said it was crucial that the university emphasised on packing the self-study report with substantial and verifiable data.
“CU had in 2017 got an A-grade by scoring 3.2 in NAAC evaluation. JU is well ahead of CU in NAAC in terms of scores. We need to consolidate our position further. And that has become all the more imperative after the slide in the latest NIRF ranking,” said the official.
CU, which had ranked 7th in the university category last year, has come fourth this year in the NIRF exercise.
JU, on the other hand, has slipped from 8th to 5th position.
“A sensitisation camp will be held to alert teachers and officials about the need to submit verifiable data,” said a JU official.
A teacher at JU said a good NAAC score helped attract bright students and get central grants.
In December 2018 Jadavpur University had received Rs 41 crore under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan, a blue-riband central scheme that provides financial impetus to select state universities to upgrade infrastructure and research capabilities.
Only universities with a score of 3.51 and above in appraisals by NAAC qualify for the scheme. In Bengal, JU was the first institute of higher education to have won the grant.
“So if we falter in NAAC rankings and score, the chances of consideration for the central scheme will dip. The state government does not have as much resources for providing such grants,” he said.
According to him, a better show in the ranking exercise and reaccreditation will help the university attract the brightest of students and researchers, leading to better graduate and research output- which is the hallmark of any good university.
