The cash-for-rating scam at the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous body under the University Grants Commission (UGC), is an unfortunate development in the Indian higher education space. NAAC was set up for awarding appropriate ratings for institutes of higher education based on several parameters.
However, the CBI investigation into the alleged bribery of an NAAC team by Guntur-based deemed university Koneru Lakshmaiah Educational Foundation (KLEF) — also known as KL University — in exchange for an A++ rating for its university exposes loopholes in the system. This incident punctures the credibility of NAAC ratings, which were expected to help students to make informed decisions in choosing their colleges.
The CBI investigation revealed that the institutes can have their preferred members in the inspection panel for as little as Rs 50 lakh and exposed the rotten system at the NAAC. Though the NAAC executive council has debarred KLEF from accreditation for five years, the damage was done — for NAAC, KLEF and also students.
Education officials should note that the NAAC’s penal action — apart from damaging KLEF’s reputation — would also affect the future of hundreds of students who joined KLEF because of the NAAC’s faulty rating.
KLEF manages vast educational infrastructure spread across three campuses — one in Guntur and two in Hyderabad — and colleges offering education in nine disciplines and a centre for distance education. It requires huge amounts of money — collected from existing as well as new students — to maintain this educational infrastructure.
If the new student enrolment slows down after this controversy, which is the most plausible scenario, the shortage of funds could affect the quality of education imparted to the existing students in spite of them having no role in this scam.
The UGC should therefore monitor the quality of education at KLEF, and as a long-term solution, devise a mechanism to allow the takeover of the errant education institutes by other well-managed institutions.