Sun Mar 09 07:00:42 UTC 2025: **NAAC Announces Major Revamp of Accreditation Process After Bribery Allegations**
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh – March 9, 2025 – The National Accreditation and Assessment Council (NAAC) has announced a major overhaul of its accreditation process following allegations of bribery and bias. The changes, announced by Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) and president of NAAC’s General Council, include a new binary accreditation system, maturity-based grading, increased stakeholder feedback, and a reduced reliance on physical site visits.
The reforms aim to address concerns raised after allegations of wrongdoing in the accreditation of Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF)-Deemed to be University. As part of the revamp, NAAC has removed 900 assessors from its database. Prof. Kumar stressed a “zero tolerance” policy for such misconduct.
The new binary system offers a basic accreditation, aiming to encourage participation from the country’s 56,000 colleges and 1,200 universities. Institutions will then be able to pursue a maturity-based graded accreditation (Levels 1-5) to further improve their standards.
Further changes include increased flexibility in PhD admissions, allowing candidates to pursue doctoral studies in fields different from their undergraduate and postgraduate specializations. The UGC also encourages universities to adopt the four-year undergraduate program and establish research and development cells, with over 200 universities already adopting new course formats and over 800 establishing such cells.
Prof. Kumar acknowledged that widespread adoption will be a long-term process, requiring sustained effort to reach all institutions. He emphasized the government’s support through the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, providing frameworks for innovation and flexibility in higher education.
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