Seven Without Valid Status, ETEducation

Bhubaneswar: Only 10 of the state’s 17 general public universities have valid accreditation as of November 1, according to National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous body under the University Grants Commission (UGC).Among the remaining seven, Jagannath Sanskrit University has not renewed its accreditation, while Odia University, Maa Manikeswari University, Vikram Dev University, Rajendra University, Dharanidhar University and MS Law University have never been accredited, with staff crunch and leadership gaps cited as the main reasons.Besides, a large number of colleges also remain outside the NAAC framework, leaving their academic standards without independent assessment.State’s Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj had informed the Assembly last year that 477 of the state’s 714 government and aided degree colleges did not have valid NAAC accreditation.Taking all higher education institutions into account, including public and private general, technical and professional institutions, the UGC puts the total number of accredited institutions in the state at 349.Academicians said a valid accreditation grade also helps institutions meet eligibility requirements for certain research grants, development funds and financial assistance from government.Apart from the absence of a mandatory requirement, the accreditation process itself demands documentation and institutional preparedness. “While faculty shortages are a major hurdle for newly established universities like Dharanidhar and Vikram Dev seeking accreditation, the absence of regular principals is a key impediment for colleges,” said a senior department official, requesting anonymity.The staffing gaps are substantial. At least 1,435 faculty positions are vacant across the 17 universities, while a majority of the 1,058 degree colleges do not have regular principals. Although universities have been asked by the department to fill vacant faculty positions by the end of this month, the leadership vacuum in colleges remains a separate challenge.