Shabiha Nur Khatoon
Utkal University recently bagged a National Assessment and Accreditation Council A+ grade – by all reckoning, a major academic achievement. And teachers and students say the varsity has the potential to become one of the best universities in the country
December 3, 2016, will remain a Red-letter Day in the history of Utkal University – the first and only university in Orissa to receive the National Assessment and Accreditation Council A+ grade.
An eight-member NAAC team, led by the former vice-chancellor of Bharathidasan University, C Thangamuthu, visited the university November 17 to examine several aspects related to teaching-learning such as the curriculum, evaluation process, research quality, infrastructure, innovative practices, staff strength and co-curricular activities undertaken by the institution.
Utkal University had secured the NAAC B grade back in 2003, which had expired eight years ago with the renewal pending since.
Apart from Utkal University, two Bhubaneswar-based colleges, BJB Autonomous College and Rajdhani College, have received Grade A by the NAAC.
At least 30 educational institutions, including the National Institute of Technology in Rourkela, Utkal University, BJB Autonomous College and Rajdhani College, received NAAC accreditation December 3.
Utkal University topped the chart in Orissa by grabbing the A+ grade with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.53. The National Institute of Technology in Rourkela bagged A grade with 3.12 CGPA and BJB Autonomous College received A grade with 3.19 CGPA. Rajdhani College received A grade with 3.01 CGPA.
Teachers and officials of the varsity and, of course, the students celebrated the news jubilantly with drumbeats and the display of colourful fireworks. Many students took to social media to convey their emotions.
Orissa POST spoke to Utkal University officials about their near-term plans regarding overall infrastructural upgrade of the institution as well as students on this remarkable achievement.
Vice-chancellor Ashok Kumar Das said: “Finally, years of hard work has paid off. We thank everyone; it is a collective achievement.”
“There are various aspects on which we are focusing to emerge as a centre of excellence. We aspire to be one of the 10 best universities in the country and, in the next three years, will hopefully be declared a centre of excellence,” said Das.
“We have acquired land for a second campus and our top priority will be rural development,” he added.
Das further said that the NAAC team has inspected all existing facilities such as laboratories, workshops, libraries and other student-support services, and had extensive interaction with the faculty, students, alumni association members and senior functionaries of the varsity on various academic aspects.
“It was, therefore, a very rigorous and detailed assessment exercise involving all relevant aspects of educational development. Needless to say, award of the A+ grade by the NAAC to us is an achievement which will spur the university to further consolidate its teaching-learning process. It signals a glorious new dawn for Utkal University,” said Das.
Santosh Tripathy, president of Utkal University Teachers’ Association, said: “This is just the beginning. Getting the A+ rank is surely a milestone, but maintaining that position and working for A++ is difficult. Yes, that is our aim. Hindi, which is our national language, gets very little attention in Orissa. We want to introduce a PG programme in Hindi.”
“We are not competing with any other educational institutions. We are constantly trying to upgrade ourselves. The NAAC team praised us for the research done by the teachers. The NAAC officials said that individually we are very good as teachers, but we need to work collectively,” said Tripathy.
Tripathy also pointed out that the placement cell should be active. “We have only limited collaborations with corporate entities. We must try to expand our presence. The National Eligibility Test and civil services coaching centres are doing well,” he said.
“The A+ grade has given us a status and we are expecting a financial boost. Once the promised funds arrive, work on infrastructural upgrade will start,” Tripathy added.
Tanmany Swain, a student of the university said that the NAAC grade has reestablished the status of Utkal University as a leading centre of learning in the state.
“I feel it is just the beginning and there is still a long way to go before we find ourselves among the top 10 universities in India. We have abundant scope for improvement, and it is high time we plugged the gaps and strove for the A++ grade,” said Tanmay.
He further said that Utkal is always in the news, but not always for the right reasons.
Another student Rajesh Swain said: “Bagging the NAAC A+ grade is not a minor achievement. However, the onus is on the university now to live up to expectations and perform better in the coming days. The NAAC rating would enable the university to avail of UGC funds that could be utilised for overall development.”