Assessment and accreditation as a tool for improvement in higher education institutions in Gujarat State in India

The past few decades have witnessed a sea change in higher education in India. Rapid economic growth, globalisation, emergence of the private sector in higher education and an increasingly restive middle class have made the demand for quality education louder than ever before. Higher education is gradually being perceived as a private good with benefits accruing to the recipient of higher education. As higher education competes with other core sectors for public funds, the call for 'value for money' grows. In such a backdrop, it is necessary to have an effective and efficient quality assurance mechanism in place in the country. This thesis analyses the external institutional quality assurance mechanism in vogue in India as implemented through the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Particularly, it analyses the QA mechanism in the light of existing theoretical precepts and some global practices employed by different countries for quality assurance in higher education. The thesis is based on data collected through publicly available documents and through semi-structured interviews recorded of academics, administrators and a government representative belonging to the State of Gujarat, India. This ensured assessment of different perspectives on the QA mechanism in India. Convergence and divergence of their views on different issues related to QA in higher education in India has been presented. Analysis of the collected data suggests the need for a reform of the QA process in India to make it a more meaningful exercise. Analysis shows that, at present, the gains of the QA process are very limited. The process influences only the fringes of a healthy quality higher education. The thesis concludes with some recommendations that may be adopted by the Indian HE system. These recommendations include making the NAAC A&A process a mandatory exercise, placing a system of continuous evaluation in place and promoting transparency in the A&A process. There may also be a case for revisiting the approach of the QA process and shifting from the present stress on "improvement" as an objective to "accountability". The need for autonomy of the HEIs is also recommended. Keywords: quality assurance, higher education in India, NAAC, assessment, accreditatio