Higher-ups of the Berhampur University and the Khallikote Cluster University are NOW on their toes to get National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) tag as a team of the council is camping here.
Vice-Chancellors, Registrars, PG Council Chairmen and Deans of have been on 24-hour job since the nine-member team headed by Prof AM Pathan reached the city on Wednesday. Other members are Prof Prajapati, Dr Neeru Basudeva, Dr Bimal Narayan Thakur, Prof Asha Shukla, Prof Manisha Sukul, Prof Arbind Kalia, Prof Dillip and Prof Sudhir Gavane.
The members were divided into two groups and visited the two universities separately. The team is scheduled to remain in Brahmapur for three days for inspection. During stay, the two groups will visit both the premier institutions once again to examine infrastructure and sustainability of the academic programmes and academic outputs.
Meanwhile, both the universities have reportedly spent lakhs of rupees to renovate and decorate their respective campus in a haste to appease the NAAC team to confer ‘A’ tag.
In 2002-03, the Berhampur University had got B+ tag when the then RDC (Southern Division) Bandana Jena was VC-in-charge. But the University now expects a better tag.
The university authorities have spent lakhs of rupees in decorating, cleaning, painting and tiling floors over night to appease the members.
VC Prof DK Behera along with Heads of all 28 PG Departments and faculty members discussed threadbare for three long hours with NAAC team about the infrastructure, academic and research programme, Central library.
Similarly, the second group comprising three members, Prof Satyanarayan, Prof PS Jayaramu and Prof J Nirmalya Marry, visited the Khallikote Cluster University.
They, after a brief discussion with the Principal, visited different departments and inspected certain crucial records and held discussions with the faculty members on academic programmes and achievements.
The cluster university has too spent lakhs of rupees in decoration, cleaning and painting to appease the members. During the last 13 years, this institution has improved a lot in its infrastructure and quality in higher education and hence is hopeful of getting A+ tag, said an insider.
NAAC grades are crucial for obtaining grants from University Grants Commission (UGC). An institution without NAAC grade is also not eligible to get Central and Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan grants.
Earlier, the UGC had notified that the institutions, if don’t get accreditation or re-accreditation from the NAAC by April 1, would be denied grants from 2016-17 academic session beginning from August this year.