The Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) may not receive financial assistance which is offered by University Grants Commission (UGC) since it failed to renew its accreditation which is issued by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
As stated in the 7.1 of UGC 2012 regulations, the commission notified all that financial assistance will be granted to those higher education institutions which have submitted its assessment and undergone accreditation process.
On November 29, 2013 it again issued notice that all universities and institutions must apply or renew for NAAC accreditation by June 2014. If one failed to do so, that educational institution would be terminated from receiving monetary assistance from UGC, April 2015 onwards.
Surprisingly, CUSAT lost its NAAC accreditation 6 years ago and have not renewed it as yet, and may do so, soon. Upon this matter the University sources informed that delay in renewing accreditation occurred due to established confusion whether CUSAT will receive Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) status or not.
An official stated that once, CUSAT receives IIEST status the institute does not need to apply to NAAC. Likewise, another reason for the delay is CUSAT’s grave financial situation.
With over 45% vacancies in faculty positions, the university could lose out on points on that ground, sources say.
However, besides CUSAT, the University of Kerala has also not updated its NAAC accreditation which is also vulnerable of not receiving further grants and financial aid rom UGC.
The 7 different criteria on which the accreditation process is based comprise curricular aspects, teaching-learning and evaluation, research, consultancy and extension, infrastructure and learning resources, student support and progression, governance, leadership and management and innovations and best practices.
Soruces : JagranJosh.com