VISION:-
To make quality the defining element of higher education in India through a combination of self and external quality evaluation, promotion, and sustenance initiatives.
MISSION:-
To arrange for periodic assessment and accreditation of institutions of higher education or units thereof, or specific academic programs or projects;
To stimulate the academic environment for the promotion of quality of teaching-learning and research in higher education institutions;
To encourage self-evaluation, accountability, autonomy, and innovations in higher education;
To undertake quality-related research studies, consultancy and training programs, and
To collaborate with other stakeholders of higher education for quality evaluation, promotion, and sustenance.
Value Framework:-
To promote the following core values among the HEIs of the country:
Ø Contributing to National Development
Ø Fostering Global Competencies among Students
Ø Inculcating a Value System among Students
Ø Promoting the Use of Technology
Ø Quest for Excellence
About Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC)
Introduction
In pursuance of its Action Plan for performance evaluation, assessment and accreditation, and quality up-gradation of institutions of higher education, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Bangalore proposes that every accredited institution should establish an Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) as a post-accreditation quality sustenance measure. Since quality enhancement is a continuous process, the IQAC will become a part of the institution’s system and work towards the realization of the goals of quality enhancement and sustenance. The prime task of the IQAC is to develop a system for conscious, consistent, and catalytic improvement in the overall performance of institutions. For this, during the post-accreditation period, it will channel all efforts and measures of the institution toward promoting its holistic academic excellence.
The guidelines provided in the following pages will guide and facilitate the institution in the creation and operation of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC). The work of the IQAC is the first step towards the internalization and institutionalization of quality enhancement initiatives. Its success depends upon the sense of belongingness and participation it can inculcate in all the constituents of the institution. It will not be yet another hierarchical structure or a record-keeping exercise in the institution. It will be a facilitative and participative voluntary system/unit/organ of the institution. It has the potential to become a vehicle for ushering in quality enhancement by working out planned interventionist strategies to remove deficiencies and enhance quality like the “Quality Circles†in industries.
Objective:-
The primary aim of IQAC is
· To develop a system for conscious, consistent, and catalytic action to improve the academic and administrative performance of the institution.
· To promote measures for institutional functioning towards quality enhancement through internalization of quality culture and institutionalization of best practices.
IQAC will facilitate/contribute:-
a) Ensure a heightened level of clarity and focus in institutional functioning towards quality enhancement;
b) Ensure internalization of the quality culture;
b) Ensure enhancement and coordination among various activities of the institution and institutionalize all good practices;
c) Provide a sound basis for decision-making to improve institutional functioning;
d) Act as a dynamic system for quality changes in HEIs;
e) Build an organized methodology of documentation and internal communication.
Composition of the IQAC:-
IQAC may be constituted in every institution under the Chairmanship of the Head of the institution with heads of important academic and administrative units and a few teachers and a few distinguished educationists and representatives of local management and stakeholders.
The composition of the IQAC may be as follows:
1. Chairperson: Head of the Institution
2. A few senior administrative officers
3. Three to eight teachers
4. One member of the Management
5. One/two nominees from local society, Students, and Alumni
6. One/two nominees from Employers /Industrialists/stakeholders
7. One of the senior teachers as the coordinator/Director of the IQAC
The composition of the IQAC will depend on the size and complexity of the institution. It helps the institutions in planning and monitoring. IQAC also gives stakeholders or beneficiaries a cross-sectional participation in the institution’s quality enhancement activities. The guidelines given here are only indicative and will help the institutions with quality sustenance activities.
The membership of such nominated members shall be for a period of two years. The IQAC should meet at least once every quarter. The quorum for the meeting shall be two-thirds of the total number of members. The agenda, minutes, and Action Taken Reports are to be documented with official signatures and maintained electronically in a retrievable format.
It is necessary for the members of the IQAC to shoulder the responsibilities of generating and promoting awareness in the institution and to devote time to working out the procedural details. While selecting these members several precautions need to be taken. A few of them are listed below:
¶ It is advisable to choose persons from various backgrounds who have earned respect for integrity and excellence in their teaching and research. Moreover, they should be aware of the ground realities of the institutional environment. They should be known for their commitment to improving the quality of teaching and learning.
¶ It would be appropriate to choose senior administrators, persons in charge of institutional services such as a library, computer center, estate, student welfare, administration, academic tasks, examination, and planning and development.
¶ The management representative should be a person who is aware of the institution’s objectives, limitations, and strengths and is committed to its improvement. The local society representatives should be of high social standing and should have made significant contributions to society and in particular to education.
The role of the coordinator:-
The role of the coordinator of the IQAC is crucial in ensuring the effective functioning of all the members. The coordinator of the IQAC may be a senior person with expertise in quality aspects. She/he may be a full-time functionary or, to start with, she/he may be a senior academic /administrator entrusted with the IQAC as an additional responsibility. Secretarial assistance may be facilitated by the administration. It is preferable that the coordinator may have sound knowledge about the computer, its various functions, and its usage for effective communication.
Operational Features of the IQAC:-
Quality assurance is a by-product of ongoing efforts to define the objectives of an institution, to have a work plan to achieve them, and to specify the checks and balances to evaluate the degree to which each of the tasks is fulfilled. Hence devotion and commitment to improvement rather than mere institutional control is the basis for devising procedures and instruments for assuring quality. The right balance between the health and growth of an institution needs to be struck. The IQAC has to ensure that whatever is done in the institution for “education†is done efficiently and effectively with high standards. In order to do this, the IQAC will have to first establish procedures and modalities to collect data and information on various aspects of institutional functioning. The coordinator of the IQAC and the secretary will have a major role in implementing these functions. The IQAC may derive major support from the already existing units and mechanisms that contribute to the functions listed above. The operational features and functions discussed so far are broad-based to facilitate institutions toward academic excellence and institutions may adapt them to their specific needs.
Submission of Annual Quality Assurance Report (AQAR)
in Accredited Institutions
Mandatory Submission of AQAR by IQAC
So far submission of AQARs was not a Mandatory requirement for Institutions applying to NAAC 2nd and subsequent cycles of Assessment and Accreditation (A&A). It has now been decided by the Executive committee of NAAC that regular submission of AQARs should be made mandatory for 2nd and subsequent cycles of accreditation.
In view of the decision of the Executive Committee of NAAC, the following will be the pre-requisites for submission of LOI for all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) opting for 2nd and subsequent cycles of A& A with effect from 16th September 2016:
Having a functional IQAC.
The minutes of the IQAC meetings and compliance with the decisions should be uploaded on the institutional website.
Mandatory submission of AQARs on a regular basis for institutions undergoing the second and subsequent cycles of Assessment and Accreditation by NAAC.
Upload the AQAR’s on the institutional website for access to all stakeholders.