Universities with NAAC grading to get UGC financial assistance

New Delhi, July 15 (IANS) The Ministry of Education by next year will unify institutional accreditation which is currently being done by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and National Board of Accreditation (NBA).

Rankings on innovation done by AICTE will also be integrated to NIRF. All Institutions of Higher Education (HEIs) will be a part of unified system of assessment and accreditation under National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

After releasing the NIRF ranking on Friday, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said: "Only those universities, colleges with NAAC grading or NIRF ranking will be eligible for inclusion in the list maintained by UGC India under Section 12 B of the UGC Act, 1956 for receiving financial assistance. Our accreditation & rankings system will also become international."

He said "we are moving towards creating a knowledge-based economy which is innovation-led and technology-driven. India is leading the way in creating a digital economy. From vaccinations to banking, digital technologies are being leveraged to bring greater ease-of-living for citizens".

From the next year, NIRF ranking categories will also include innovation and entrepreneurship. Work is already going on rankings of ITIs and Polytechnics. Soon there will be a system where each school will also be accredited, the education minister added.

Union Minister Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan released the NIRF Rankings 2022 here.

Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said "our HEIs are working towards making our education ecosystem more vibrant and making our youth future ready".

"A robust and objective framework for assessment, accreditation and ranking will play a major role in enhancing quality in the higher education ecosystem," he added.

The Minister further said that we are moving towards creating a knowledge-based economy which is innovation-led and technology-driven.

"Our higher educational institutions have to play a key role in making India a leading global innovation and digital economy and making quality education affordable and accessible for the bottom of the pyramid population," he added.