Only 10% of colleges in the state offering technical Education in engineering, MBA, architecture, etc have courses that are accredited by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA). Of the 1,502 technical colleges in the state, only about 156 have accredited courses. Together these colleges offer 5,921 courses, but only 471 are accredited.
The data was provided in a written answer by the higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil in the state assembly over questions raised by the opposition. Colleges have been given a deadline of six months to seek the board’s accreditation for eligible courses. The board accredits technical courses in the country and not the entire college like the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).
Accreditation from NBA is must for professional courses, as is reinforced by the All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). And it will be wrong for colleges to seek permission for new courses, or to seek an increase in intake capacity for existing courses without it.
The state will act as per section 110 (4) of theMaharashtraPublic Universities Act, 2016, which states colleges failing to comply with accreditation or re-accreditation requirements can be denied affiliation by the university. Such institutions then cannot admit any student.