Bhubaneswar: Only 18 out of 37 universities in Odisha have received accreditation from National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Similarly, 311 out of 1,300 colleges have got this certification.
Director of NAAC, Ganesan Kannabiran, shared this information while attending a regional consultative workshop (eastern region) organized at Utkal University here on Saturday.
He said 49% of universities in Odisha have NAAC accreditation, which is higher than the national average of 40%. “This is definitely better than the national average. Around 24% of colleges have received accreditation compared to the country’s 16%,” he added.
Kannabiran emphasized the need for more colleges to come forward for accreditation, particularly in rural areas. “The institutions in rural areas need to apply for accreditation and take part in the process. The framework incorporates the situation of rural and remote location institutions, which may be located in aspirational districts across the country,” he said.
Kannabiran also mentioned that the current percentage of colleges accredited is relatively low. “To address this, it is proposed to launch several hand-holding initiatives to support institutions in participating in accreditation process. The institutions located in rural and remote locations are likely to receive mentoring support from NAAC to ensure no institution is left behind in the new and transformative quality movement,” he added.
Regarding the upcoming changes in the accreditation system, it was mentioned that binary accreditation will be launched before Sept 16, with the system of maturity-based graded levels being ready in Jan 2025.
Official sources clarified that institutions which have already received accreditation under the existing system need not apply again under the binary accreditation.

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