Indore: DAVV applies for NAAC accreditation, expects better grade

Indore: Expecting better grade this time, Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) – a Grade A accredited university by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) – has applied for fourth cycle of accreditation. “We have submitted Institutional Information for Quality Assessment to NAAC, which implies that we have technically applied for accreditation,” said vice chancellor Dr Narendra Dhakad.

He said university is hopeful of clinching a better grade this time. Following an impressive preparation by teaching departments and impactful presentation by the then vice chancellor DP Singh before NAAC’s peer team, the DAVV had scored 3.09 on the scale of four and bagged Grade A accreditation from the accrediting agency in 2014. At that time, Grade A accreditation was the highest grade.

When Singh became director of NAAC in 2015, he changed the grading. Currently, the highest grade is A++ which is awarded to institutions scoring between 3.51 and 4. Institutions scoring between 3.26 and 3.50 are awarded Grade A+ and those scoring between 3.01 and 3.25 are awarded Grade A.

Among those who think that DAVV will improve its performance is Ashok Sharma, NAAC coordinator at DAVV. “Even if today, the NAAC team comes to assess standards of DAVV it would grant a score enough to retain our Grade A status. If we go with full preparation, we can clinch higher grade,” he said.

Change in norm ‘saved’ DAVV

The university was supposed to apply within a week after October 20 (as per NAAC rules) but it missed the deadline, which meant that it would not be able to use existing accreditation status after validity expires, which is February 21. But NAAC changed the norm, giving big relief to DAVV. The new norm reads: “Institutions, which are due to complete their validity period and have applied for Institutional Information for Quality Assessment to NAAC prior to the expiry of validity period are permitted to use the Grade.”