The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has decided to launch the Binary Accreditation System and relaxed norms for institutions from rural and remote areas. The new norms are being introduced to encourage institutions in rural areas to get accredited.
Prof Ganesan Kannabiran, Director of NAAC said that while more than 50 percent of higher education institutions in the country were in rural and remote areas, most of them have not applied for accreditation under the new binary accreditation system.
There will not be much difference in the criteria for urban and rural colleges, but the threshold level will be different. NAAC has organised a workshop for representatives from colleges in rural and remote areas.
Fees under the new accreditation system will be reduced by 50 per cent compared to the existing fees. There will be a little more reduction for institutions from rural and remote areas. NAAC is also planning to moot a mentor system to help these institutions, Prof Kannabiran said.