Indore: Barring DAVV, no traditional varsity in state is accredited

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): That Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) is the only university in the state which has Grade A+ accreditation from NAAC is common knowledge.

What is uncommon is that it is also the only state government-run traditional university under the department of higher education which is currently accredited with the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), a statutory body of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

A closer look at NAAC data revealed that a total of seven universities out of 49 state universities are accredited with the NAAC. Of them, DAVV is the only university which offers traditional courses and is accredited with the NAAC.

Other than DAVV, Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya is also among the government-run universities and is accredited with the NAAC. But RGPV is a technical university and is under the umbrella of the directorate of technical education.

Indore division academic director (higher education) Dr Suresh Silawat held Covid-19 responsible for this scenario in the state. “Jiwaji University, Barkatullah University, Rani Durgawati University and Vikram Vishwavidyalaya’s accreditation exhausted in 2020, the same year as the Covid-19 outbreak in the country. Because of coronavirus fears, their and some other universities’ accreditation could not be renewed,” he said.

Among the universities which are accredited with the NAAC are Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (deemed university), Rabindranath Tagore University, Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, ITM University, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, People’s University and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic Vishwavidyalaya.

No private university in the city accredited

There are as many as many nine private universities in the city. Barring Sri Aruobindo University, all the other varsities are eligible for NAAC accreditation, but they have not applied for it till date. Silawat said that the NAAC awards grades to institutions on the basis their standards. ‘If any university gets a lower grade from the NAAC, it takes a toll on their admissions, so private universities shy away from obtaining accreditation,’ he added