Only 5 universities, 74 colleges get NAAC accreditation: Economic survey

Patna: Recent economic survey has brought to light a glaring gap in the state's higher education sector: Despite an increase in the number of institutions, quality education remains a challenge.
According to the economic survey tabled by the Bihar govt in the state legislature, of the total 39 universities in 2023-24, only five got the NAAC accreditation. Only one university made it to the list of A++ grade, while none was in the category of A+ and A.
Similarly, of the total 1,197 colleges, only 74 were given accreditation by the NAAC, out of which only one college, Patna Women's College, was in the list of the A++ category.
Of the 39 varsities, four are central universities, 19 state public universities, six institutes of national importance, one each state open university, institute under state legislative act and deemed university, and seven private universities. Apart from the Central University of South Bihar, which was given A++ grade, the other four received B++, B+, B, and C marking.
Similarly, the breakdown of colleges shows that one college each got A++, A+, and A grades, four each were given B++ and B+ marking, a maximum of 32 colleges were given B grades, followed by 27 which were given C marking, and four were given D grades.
Academic advisor, Bihar State Higher Education Council, Nawin Kumar Agrawal, who was made state nodal officer, NAAC in 2023, said the number of educational institutes with NAAC accreditation came down because of the Covid-19 pandemic when many teachers were not coming to the colleges. He said the NAAC accreditation is for five years, and most of the institutes completed their cycle in 2020, 21, or 22, at a time when online classes were mainly going on. He said many institutes could not apply for the new accreditation. He further said making an application is not a one-day exercise; rather, universities and colleges have to do documentation on a daily basis, and once a year, an annual quality assurance report is submitted.
He recalled how in 2016-17, Lalit Narayan Mithila University (LNMU) alone had 34 colleges which were accredited by the NAAC. "But now, we have deputed one person each in the university as well as in colleges for the purpose, and the number of accredited institutions will go up," said Agrawal.
Patna: Recent economic survey has brought to light a glaring gap in the state's higher education sector: Despite an increase in the number of institutions, quality education remains a challenge.
According to the economic survey tabled by the Bihar govt in the state legislature, of the total 39 universities in 2023-24, only five got the NAAC accreditation. Only one university made it to the list of A++ grade, while none was in the category of A+ and A.
Similarly, of the total 1,197 colleges, only 74 were given accreditation by the NAAC, out of which only one college, Patna Women's College, was in the list of the A++ category.
Of the 39 varsities, four are central universities, 19 state public universities, six institutes of national importance, one each state open university, institute under state legislative act and deemed university, and seven private universities. Apart from the Central University of South Bihar, which was given A++ grade, the other four received B++, B+, B, and C marking.
Similarly, the breakdown of colleges shows that one college each got A++, A+, and A grades, four each were given B++ and B+ marking, a maximum of 32 colleges were given B grades, followed by 27 which were given C marking, and four were given D grades.
Academic advisor, Bihar State Higher Education Council, Nawin Kumar Agrawal, who was made state nodal officer, NAAC in 2023, said the number of educational institutes with NAAC accreditation came down because of the Covid-19 pandemic when many teachers were not coming to the colleges. He said the NAAC accreditation is for five years, and most of the institutes completed their cycle in 2020, 21, or 22, at a time when online classes were mainly going on. He said many institutes could not apply for the new accreditation. He further said making an application is not a one-day exercise; rather, universities and colleges have to do documentation on a daily basis, and once a year, an annual quality assurance report is submitted.
He recalled how in 2016-17, Lalit Narayan Mithila University (LNMU) alone had 34 colleges which were accredited by the NAAC. "But now, we have deputed one person each in the university as well as in colleges for the purpose, and the number of accredited institutions will go up," said Agrawal.