Odisha: In a first, education dept to conduct academic audit of colleges & varsities

BHUBANESWAR: For the first time, the higher education department will start an academic audit of autonomous colleges and universities in the state in a bid to improve their grades and push up their national rankings.
The Utkal University, Rama Devi Women’s University, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack and BJB Autonomous College, Bhubaneswar, will be among the first to be audited as they are set to face the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in the coming days.
Officials said a team of experts (retired professors, administrators or those drawn from industries) will assess the work of the institutions via both the online and offline mode. The team will also mentor these colleges and universities. The entire process will be completed by the first week of January.
The officials further said a web portal will be created for maintaining a database of the degree colleges and universities. The institutions can fill up their baseline status on the website. The experts will visit the institutions concerned for verification.
The government is also discussing institutional development plans and facilitating the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF), along with the NAAC assessment. The academic audit will help the institutions improve their NIRF ranks besides the NAAC grades. The Odisha State Higher Education Council (OSHEC) has been given the responsibility of the academic audit.
NAAC accreditation is a pre-requiste for an institution to receive grants from the UGC, and financial aid and funds under the Rashtriya Uchchattar Shiksha Abhiyan or RUSA. It also reflects the quality of an institution.
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