A Broken Compass in a Storm
Imagine a young girl, sitting with her father, flipping through college brochures.
She’s bright, ambitious, and determined to get into the best institution possible.
Her father, a man who never had the privilege of higher education, trusts only one thing—the grades.
"Beta, look at this one, it has an A++. Must be great!" he says.
She nods, feeling reassured. A++ sounds elite. It must be good.
Now, imagine another student, scrolling through a college website. No grades. Just a simple word: "Accredited."
What does that even mean? Is it better than an A++? Worse? The doubt creeps in. Confusion follows.
This is the future NAAC and UGC have designed for Indian students. A future where clarity is erased. Where parents and students are left guessing.
Where institutions that once wore their grades like a badge of honour are now reduced to a simple yes or no.
And the worst part? The playing field is now unfair.
When Clarity Becomes Chaos
For decades, NAAC accreditation followed a graded system. Colleges were ranked from A++ to D, allowing students to differentiate between great, good, average, and failing institutions.
It wasn’t perfect, but it worked.
Then came a sudden decision—scrap the grades, replace them with a binary system.
Either a college is "Accredited" or "Not Accredited."
Sounds simple? It isn’t.
Because here’s the catch: Institutes that already have grades will keep them.
They can continue marketing their A++ or A+ status for years. But new institutions? They’ll only get the flat "Accredited" stamp.
So now, we have two kinds of colleges:
✔️ Some with fancy grades like A++
✔️ Some with just "Accredited"
Now, who do you think parents will trust?
Who will students choose?
Even if both colleges have the same standards, the one with grades will look superior. The one without will struggle to prove itself.
Fair? Absolutely not.
This is not simplification. This is systematic misrepresentation.
Why Are We Fixing What Wasn’t Broken?
The truth is, the grading system itself wasn’t the problem.
The problem was how those grades were given.
If grading was flawed, it wasn’t because A++ colleges didn’t deserve it. It was because many institutions “bought” their grades.
We’ve all seen the headlines.
CBI arrested 10 people, including NAAC assessors, for taking bribes to manipulate accreditation ratings.
A JNU professor, a university vice-chancellor, and several other officials were caught accepting cash, gold, and expensive gadgets to influence NAAC scores.
And if that wasn’t shocking enough—NAAC recently fired 900 assessors who were involved in these unethical practices.
Let that sink in—900 assessors.
This wasn’t a minor issue. This was systemic.
Institutions weren’t just earning their grades—they were negotiating them.
And those who refused to play along? They suffered.
Now, instead of fixing the real problem—corruption, integrity, and transparency—NAAC has found an easy escape.
Scrap grades. Hide the past. Move on.
But does that really fix anything?
What Needs Fixing in NAAC?
If NAAC and UGC were serious about improving accreditation, they would have taken a different approach:
✔️ Strict reforms in how colleges are evaluated.
✔️ Transparency in accreditation visits—full disclosure of assessment criteria mapped to evidences produced.
✔️ Severe consequences for bribery—lifetime bans for institutions and assessors involved.
✔️ Publicly available accreditation reports—so parents & students can see the truth.
Instead, NAAC has chosen the easiest way out.
Scrap grades.
Create a blanket “Accredited” status. Bury the past and move forward as if nothing happened.
But let’s not be fooled.
If the assessors were corrupt yesterday, what stops them from being corrupt tomorrow?
Without grades, corruption won’t disappear. It will just take a new form.
The question is—who benefits from this change?
Not the students. Not the parents. Not the institutions that genuinely worked for their grades.
Only those who don’t want to be held accountable.
The Bigger Question: What is the Future of Indian Education?
India’s higher education system is at a crossroads. We are producing the world’s best engineers, doctors, and entrepreneurs.
But we are also producing unemployable graduates.
Accreditation should be a beacon of trust.
A guiding light. A clear signpost for students and parents. Instead, NAAC has decided to switch off the lights and leave them wandering in the dark.
This is not reform. This is regression.
What happens next?
Confusion will rise – Students and parents will struggle to compare colleges.
Marketing gimmicks will take over – Institutes with old grades will flash them everywhere.
New institutions will suffer – They will be seen as lower quality, even if they are better.
And who suffers the most? The students. The very people the system is supposed to protect.
This is not a policy change. This is a failure of leadership.
A Call for Transparency
NAAC and UGC need to rethink this decision. If they truly want a fair system, they must:
Ensure a uniform system – Either keep grades for everyone or remove them entirely. No in-betweens.
Create a better ranking system – If grades are flawed, build a new, transparent, and standardized ranking.
Educate the public – Students and parents must understand what "Accredited" really means.
Because education is not a game. Accreditation is not a marketing tool. And students’ futures are not experiments.
NAAC, UGC, you have the power to make this right.
Do it before it’s too late.
Final Thought
If you are a student, a parent, or an educator—speak up.
The future of higher education in India should be built on trust, not confusion.
Share this. Start a conversation. Demand clarity.
Because if we stay silent, we let incompetence win.
What are your thoughts? Does this policy make sense to you? Let’s discuss.
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