MANGALURU: Mangalore University is facing the challenge of retaining its ‘A’ grade as it gears up for the third cycle of re-accreditation by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Having fulfilled the self-study report (SSR), the 40-year-old university is now striving to put its best foot forward when the NAAC team comes calling for the on-site peer team visit, probably in the first or second week of December.
Faced with shortage in staff — both teaching and non-teaching — retaining the coveted A grade is a challenge, said P S Yadapadithaya, vice-chancellor. “Based on our SSR, NAAC has completed online evaluation of the same through the data verification and validation (DVV) process,” Yadapadithaya told TOI. Roughly 30% of the assessment depends on on-site assessment by the peer team, the VC explained.
“The university has to suggest three dates for the peer team’s visit, which tentatively will happen in the first fortnight of December,” he said. Incidentally, the university received the ‘A’ grade in the first cycle with a CGPA of 3.06. After NAAC decided to revamp the accreditation grades by doing away with the CGPA score, the university received the A grade in the second cycle.
Staff shortage will have a bearing on the final rating. “We are making efforts to retain the A grade as NAAC has since added A++ and A+ grades,” Yadapadithaya said, adding: “Efforts by the university to fill the staff vacancies were in advanced stages. But it hit the pandemic brick wall with the state government putting a freeze on employment due to the financial implications.”