Over half of Odisha’s government universities and colleges have not obtained accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), impacting their eligibility for essential funding.
This issue was highlighted by Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj in the Assembly.
Currently, only eight out of 17 universities and 25 out of 66 government colleges have secured NAAC certification. The accreditation is mandatory for institutions seeking financial assistance from both the central and state governments. The lack of certification is attributed to inadequate infrastructure, insufficient teaching staff, and subpar research and transparency standards.
In response, the Odisha government has initiated measures to address these shortcomings. Initiatives include smart classrooms, e-lectures, centers of excellence, Wi-Fi campuses, library automation, skill training, e-resources for research scholars, fellowships, and seed funding for research.
Additionally, the government has allocated ₹20 crore each to five universities: Gangadhar Meher University, Odisha State Open University, Rajendra University, Maa Manikeswari University, and Vikram Dev University.
These efforts aim to enhance the quality of higher education in Odisha and ensure that more institutions achieve the necessary accreditation to receive funding.
