AQAR
Annual Quality Assurance Report
NAAC: Ensuring Quality in India's Higher Education
India's higher education system is one of the largest and most diverse in the world. While privatization, expansion, and the introduction of new programs have improved access, there are also concerns about the quality and relevance of higher education. To address these concerns, the National Policy on Education (NPE, 1986) and the Programme of Action (PoA, 1992) advocated for the establishment of an independent national accreditation agency.
Establishment of NAAC
Consequently, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) was established in 1994 as an autonomous institution of the University Grants Commission (UGC), with its headquarters in Bengaluru. The mandate of NAAC, as reflected in its vision statement, is to make quality assurance an integral part of the functioning of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
AQAR (Annual Quality Assurance Report)
One of the key initiatives of NAAC is the Annual Quality Assurance Report (AQAR), which HEIs are required to submit on an annual basis. The AQAR provides a comprehensive overview of the institution's quality initiatives, achievements, and challenges, and serves as a tool for continuous improvement.