‘No Substantial Teaching, Lack of Amenities’: Experts Question NAAC Top Grade to 4 UP Universities

Lucknow: Bareilly's Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Rohilkhand University has achieved the highest A++ grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), becoming the fourth university in Uttar Pradesh to have received this grade in the past year.

While this accreditation garnered praise from state ministers, it has raised questions about the authenticity of NAAC's evaluation process.

महात्मा ज्योतिबा फुले रूहेलखण्ड विश्वविद्यालय, बरेली को @NAAC_India द्वारा 'Grade A++' रैंकिंग प्राप्त होने पर विश्वविद्यालय परिवार सहित समस्त प्रदेश वासियों को हार्दिक बधाई!

माननीय राज्यपाल व कुलाधिपति श्रीमती @anandibenpatel जी के मार्गदर्शन में अपने ध्येय वाक्य 'चरैवेति,…

— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) June 25, 2023

NAAC is an autonomous body funded by the University Grants Commission (UGC) which evaluates the standard of education in higher educational institutions. It has been plagued with allegations of malpractices and corruption.

Three other universities – Lucknow University, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University and Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meeru – also got an A++ accreditation from the NAAC.

Interestingly, these four universities outperformed well-known institutions in UP such as King George Medical University, Banaras Hindu University and Aligarh Muslim University in their NAAC accreditation.

Educational experts have alleged that the NAAC follows a “fraudulent evaluation process” and added that these universities don't deserve the highest grading due to their deteriorating condition in quality of education, examination process and basic amenities.

Separately, the latest 2023 National Institution Ranking Framework (NIRF) report showed no significant improvement in the quality of education offered by either of the four universities, raising debates across the state over the NAAC accreditation.

NIRF – which is also an initiative by the Government of India – focuses on teaching, research, outreach, graduation outcomes, etc. to rank higher educational institutions in the country.

NAAC evaluates curriculum, infrastructure, and student support, among others, and goes through an individualised accreditation process.

'No substantial teaching'

Dhirendra Singh, president of the Gorakhpur University Affiliated College Association (GUACTA), questioned whether the university deserved an A++ grade, alleging that "the grade has been achieved through unconstitutional means."

"There is absolutely nothing in the name of amenities here, even the basic needs are not being fulfilled," he told The Wire.

He said that due to the administration's neglect, the university didn't deserve to be given such a high grade.

“The most basic expectation people have from a university is education, but unfortunately, there is no focus on studies, the teachers are not able to teach and the students are not able to learn,” he said.

While no substantial teaching has been happening in the universities, the authorities have been conducting two consecutive exams without giving a gap of 90 days between the two exams. And he alleged this is happening without notice. That's why teachers have to rush through the syllabus and conduct online classes during holidays.

"It seems like examinations are all that have been happening with no substantial teaching whatsoever. What will be the future of these students, no one seems to care about that,” he added.

He added that the university has become a platform for politicians to deliver speeches and implied it is one of the factors impacting students' education.

Also read: Merge and Purge: Whatever Is Happening to Delhi University?

NAAC's evaluation process

The GUACTA head further alleged that the A++ grade had lately become like "prasad", owing to its “generous distribution” to these four universities.

He also condemned the “wrongful” way in which he believed the grade had been received by Gorakhpur University.

“From my understanding, when students were asked for feedback and opinions on matters concerning the university and its operations, during the NAAC evaluation process, the university administration prepared 500 fake responses from students and submitted them,” he alleged.

Singh believes the university does not possess any attributes that make it eligible for receiving the highest grade from the Council. He called the environment in the university as 'anarchical' in the past months.

“We have been protesting on and off for one reason or another, be it for clean staff toilets or provision of drinking water for students, or addition of books to the library,” he said.

'Ground reality'

The university administration has reprimanded GUACTA officials for protesting against the university. It suspended teachers and sent disciplinary notices to those who have voiced their concerns.

“Education has been sold and those with money are sitting in the driver's seat,” said Singh.

He said that such action from university administrators doesn't align with those belonging to an A++ rated university.

“What has the university achieved by getting an NAAC A++ grade if the staff, students, and teachers are not looked after? In fact, one can truly assess how things are within the NAAC from the resignation of its chairman a few months ago," he added.

In March, Bhushan Patwardhan, NAAC’s former executive committee chairman, had resigned from his post, citing corruption and malpractices within the body as the prime reason for the big decision. He had also called for a probe against the NAAC and wrote to the UGC expressing his concerns.

The Times of India had reported that this was the first time that an NAAC executive chairman had resigned.

In the letter, Patwardhan had said: “On receiving various complaints from the stakeholders and review committee reports, I had expressed my apprehensions earlier about the possibility of vested interests, malpractices, and nexus among the persons concerned, offering thereby a green corridor by presumably manipulating ICT, DVV and PTV [reports based on which assessment is carried out and grades are awarded] processes, leading to the awarding of questionable grades to some HEIs.”

In his resignation letter, he also said that the malpractices included institutes using expired NAAC grades, plagiarising self-study reports, and claims that grades could be purchased.

These malpractices, per TOI, came into limelight after little-known private institutions had higher NAAC scores than the Institute of Science, which is the country’s top-ranked university, in 2022.

But despite the former chairman’s allegations against the Council, the grant of A++ grades to UP universities has continued.

Also read: Beyond Compliance – Or Public Good, Public Accountability and Public University

National Students' Union of India state vice-president and Gorakhpur university student, Yogesh Pratap Singh, said that the students were yet to see things change for the better after receiving the NAAC grade.

“While the grade came as a surprise to everyone, most students were happy because now the university could get additional funds for students' welfare, but the grade is only useful if the funds the institution gets are used for the right purposes. There is no way for us to know where the money will be used,” the PhD student told The Wire.

“No quality development has taken place at the university for it to receive the NAAC A++ grade. Rather it has actually gone downhill in some aspects,” he added.

Lucknow University, another recipient of the NAAC A+++ grade, had witnessed high-level protests over student and teacher welfare issues during the year. The agitation has been ongoing over the reduction of summer holidays from ten weeks to 15 days and the scheduling of exams without the required 90-day gap between two consecutive exams.

Apart from studies, Lucknow University appears to not be performing well in the field of sports.

The Lucknow University Associated Colleges Teachers' Association (LUACTA) highlighted the varsity’s disappointing performance in the Khelo India University Games recently held in the city.

LUACTA has called for reforms in the sports council, saying that only two students from the university were eligible to take part in the Khelo India University Games, which were organised in the city.

“Khelo India University Games were organised in our city, but the 'A++ rated' Lucknow University was not even considered for hosting the games. Instead, the responsibility was given to Babu Banarasi Das University. Forget about hosting, Lucknow University has only two students who are eligible to take part in the event, which is absolutely shameful,” LUACTA officials had said in a statement released in May.

“Lucknow University will probably be the only university in the entire state, which despite being in the capital adopts the lowest level of sports policies,” read the statement.

A protest held by the Lucknow University Association Colleges Teachers' Association. Photo: By special arrangement

In addition, the LUACTA officials gave a number of reasons why they believe the Lucknow University is not living up to its A++ standard. These include the non-payment of evaluation-related services provided by teachers, lack of accommodation for educators travelling from other cities, exorbitant registration fees for student admissions, etc.

Anshu Kedia, the secretary of LUACTA, expressed her surprise at how the NAAC panel considered Lucknow University as one of the top institutions in the country, despite its evident flaws.

“I’m surprised how these low-ranking universities are getting NAAC's A++ grade when even prestigious universities have to really struggle hard to get it,” she said.

“What even is the value of NAAC A++ if everyone’s going to get it,” she added.

Formerly a journalist in Australia, Zaina Azhar Sayeda now covers stories on culture, society, social issues and environment in India.

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