Mumbai: In what could be fresh trouble for Mumbai University Vice Chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh, who is already facing heat over delayed results, the State government on Tuesday announced a probe against those responsible — including the Vice Chancellor — for failing to apply for the university’s re-accreditation to National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in time.
The issue was raised by Congress MLC Ramhari Rupnawar during question hour in the Legislative Council on Tuesday. Mr. Rupnawar said the university has lost its Grade ‘A’ accreditation given by NAAC in April, and asked whether any action would be taken against the officials responsible for this.
“Action will be taken after an inquiry against those who are responsible for not securing accreditation for the university,” said Ravindra Waikar, Minister of State for Higher and Technical Education.
The NAAC accreditation defines the quality of an institute based on its performance, curriculum, evaluation, faculty and infrastructure.
Nationalist Congress Party MLC Niranjan Davkhare asked whether action will be taken against the Vice Chancellor.
Mr. Waikar responded, “If the Vice Chancellor is found to be at fault, then action will be taken against him through the Chancellor.”
The university will now apply for accreditation between November 1 and December 31, he said. “There is no provision to apply for the accreditation six months prior to its expiry,” he said, when the legislators questioned the timing.
The guidelines for NAAC accreditation have been revised from April, and the new process is more transparent. The university has decided to apply for accreditation under the new process, he said.