Haryana will soon have its own State Assessment and Accreditation Council (SAAC) on the pattern of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) to assess and accredit institutions of higher education functioning in the State.
Presiding over the Council’s meeting on Thursday, Chief Minister Manohar lal who is also the chairman of State Higher Education Council, directed the officers concerned to explore possibilities for creation of SAAC in the state.
Manohar lal said that though it is already mandatory to get universities and colleges assessed by NAAC, the formation of SAAC would help primarily assessing quality of institutions of higher education before the periodic assessment and accreditation by NAAC.
He said that all the Vice Chancellors should make all out efforts to secure best grade from NAAC.
The Chief Minister also expressed concern that although chairs are instituted to commemorate the memory of prominent personalities, no further research is conducted. He directed the Vice Chancellors to ensure research work on such chairs.
He said that the society would be immensely benefited with such research work. Adequate funds as well as infrastructure would be provided for the same. The Vice Chancellors concerned could also explore possibilities as many business houses are ready for the same as a part of corporate social responsibility, said the Chief Minister.
He said that present government had set up a chair named after Mangal Sain in Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak. Adequate emphasis should be laid on promotion of research activities, he added.
The Chief Minister also directed the Vice Chancellors to ensure complete transparency in recruitment process in their respective institutions as there were many complaints of irregularities having committed in the past. “I am closely monitoring the entire system and reports are not so encouraging. Therefore, everyone must be very fair and impartial in recruitment”, he added.
Manohar lal also sought details of those B.Ed. Colleges which are operational in the state without permission of the government.
He said that mapping of colleges should be carried out to have complete area wise details of educational institutes.
The Chief Minister also asked the officers that permission for opening of new college should be given keeping in view the future requirements of the area. New courses in sports science discipline should also be introduced in the universities. Besides, skill development programmes should also be introduced to train those having talent in relevant disciplines, added he.
During the meeting, it was informed that Higher Education Department has started online admission process in all its 108 government colleges which would continue upto July 6. The Department has taken steps in providing quality education as Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Haryana is 28.7 per cent as compared to the national GER of 20.4 per cent.
Haryana Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma said that physical verification of B.Ed. colleges should be carried out so as to have the complete details of fee being charged by these institutions.