Patna: Patliputra University (PPU) has worked out a comprehensive plan to get its constituent and affiliated colleges accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) on priority, amid growing emphasis on quality assurance and academic standards in higher education institutions.According to PPU registrar Abu Bakar, altogether 20 colleges under the university, including two affiliated colleges, have already secured NAAC accreditation. “Besides, nearly 10 other colleges are currently preparing for their first-cycle accreditation,” he said, adding that a cell has been set up at the university headquarters here to keep a close tab on the progress.However, the process has slowed considerably due to uncertainty surrounding the opening of the NAAC portal for submission of the self-study report (SSR), a mandatory requirement for accreditation assessment. “Several colleges are reportedly waiting for fresh directions from the NAAC headquarters in Bengaluru before proceeding further,” the registrar said.In addition, college principals and internal quality assurance cell (IQAC) coordinators said that in the absence of clear operational guidelines from the NAAC office, institutions were finding it difficult to move ahead with the accreditation process. “Though NAAC shifted to a binary accreditation system in 2024, replacing the earlier CGPA-based grading pattern with only two outcomes, ‘accredited’ or ‘not accredited’, detailed procedural norms are yet to be made fully clear to many colleges,” he said.Since its establishment in March 2018, PPU has been making sustained efforts to improve academic infrastructure, governance and institutional quality in order to bring more colleges under the NAAC framework. “The colleges which have already completed their first cycle of NAAC accreditation are facing difficulties in applying for the second cycle due to the non-functional portal and lack of updated guidelines from the accrediting agency,” Bakar said.According to the sources, of the 20 PPU accredited colleges, A N College has been awarded grade A+ and College of Commerce, Arts and Science secured grade ‘A’. While 11 others secured grade ‘B’ and seven were awarded grade ‘C’ during the previous assessment.Meanwhile, PPU academics believe that timely clarification from NAAC and restoration of the portal facility would help colleges expedite the accreditation process, which is increasingly becoming essential for academic credibility, availing financial grants and institutional development.
