During a meeting on Monday, the IIT Council, the highest coordinating body of India’s premier institutes, reached a consensus that the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) must undergo an accreditation process. However, significant questions remain regarding which authority will be responsible for this accreditation and the specific procedures involved, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Education.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 proposes the establishment of a National Accreditation Council, an overarching body tasked with accrediting institutions and intended to be a part of the yet-to-be-formed Higher Education Commission of India (HECI).
Officials mentioned that while the specifics of the accreditation process and its timeline are still being developed, the IITs are expected to put forward suggestions for a potential framework. Currently, the IITs operate under an internal system for periodic peer evaluation and assessment of their programs and are not accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), the body that evaluates higher education institutions.
A 2023 report aimed at enhancing assessment and accreditation in higher education, drafted by a committee led by Dr. K Radhakrishnan, recommended that IITs should be included in a unified accreditation framework.
The council convened for the first time in two years, with its previous meeting held in April 2023. In this latest gathering, council members also addressed the importance of mental well-being for students. Presentations highlighted measures implemented by IIT Madras in this regard.
Additionally, the council acknowledged the necessity of overcoming language barriers in education by integrating regional languages. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has since urged IITs to advocate for the use of Indian languages as mediums of instruction to foster “inclusive growth.” Decisions regarding these initiatives will ultimately rest with the Senate of each IIT. Notably, IIT Jodhpur is currently the only institute offering classes in Hindi for first-year BTech students.
While discussions were anticipated about the implementation of the National Credit Framework, this topic did not surface in the meeting. Nonetheless, the IITs have created their own framework for potential implementation.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/education/iit-council-agrees-to-go-for-accreditation-but-body-modalities-yet-to-be-worked-out-10211482/
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Publish Date: 2025-08-26 03:26:00
