LIT’s A+ grade paves way for its autonomy

Nagpur: Despite functioning without adequate numbers of teachers and infrastructure, Laxminarayan Institute of Technology (LIT) has received ‘A+’ grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) on Tuesday. It has received 3.48 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), which would remain valid for next five years, till August 23, 2027.
LIT officials said this will pave the way for the long pending demand of granting autonomy to one of the oldest institutions for chemical engineering and technology in India.
“Now, our next move will be to try for autonomy and we will soon apply to UGC for it. We have sufficient number of teachers and non-teaching staff for getting the coveted status. It was the reason we were awarded A+ grade by NAAC. They actually look for output of any institution, and do not go for number of teaching or non-teaching staff,” an elated LIT director Raju Mankar told TOI.
He, however, candidly admitted that LIT would not become eligible for certification from the National Board of Accreditation (NBA), as it focuses on staff numbers in any institution along with the facilities.
A peer team constituted by NAAC under the chairmanship of IIIT Imphal director K Baskar visited LIT a couple of months ago for a detailed study and assessment of its working for accreditation in first cycle, and grading it as per their prescribed parameters of qualitative metrics. They were accompanied by member coordinator H Bhunia from Thapar Institute of Technology at Patiala, and NK Injeti from the Andhra University in Visakhapatnam.
The Bangalore-based organization assessed LIT on criteria like curricular aspects, teaching, learning and evaluation, research, consultancy and extension activities, infrastructure and learning resources, students support and progression, governance, leadership and management, and best practices and distinctiveness.
LIT’s internal quality assurance cell (IQAC) under the director worked hard to prepare for a self-study report (SSR), and also during the NAAC Peer team visit. “This is a moment of pride not only for the university but also for the students studying here, alumni and for the people of Nagpur. Every stakeholder, who worked hard towards the vision and mission of the institute for fulfilling the dreams of donor Rao Bahadur Laxminarayanji, shares the success,” Mankar said.
‘Deemed to be university’ status is our aim: Mankar
Speaking on the plans to get the ‘deemed to be university’ status for LIT, as demanded by its alumni association (LITAA), the director said getting autonomy would be the first move towards this goal. “The state government nod is needed for receiving ‘deemed to be university’ status along with that of UGC. But it will take a few years. Already, it took one-and-a-half years for us to get NAAC certification. Same period would be required for getting autonomous status. Only after that, we can think of our future plans, as envisaged by the alumni. Without their support, it would not have been possible for us to reach this stage,” Mankar said while thanking LITAA for extending all help.