Prof. Bhushan Patwardhan named as chairman of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

Why in news?

• The University Grants Commission (UGC)has appointed educationist and research scientist Professor Bhushan Patwardhan as chairman, of the executive committee of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Bengaluru. The position was vacant after Prof Jagadish Kumar was appointed as chairman of UGC.
• Prof Patwardhan is currently a national research professor designated by the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, and a distinguished professor at the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU).

About the National Assessment and Accreditation Council

• NAAC is an autonomous body established by the UGC on September 5, 1994, with Prof Ram Reddy as founding chairman and Prof Arun Nigavekar as its first director.
• NAAC undertakes assessment and accreditation of higher educational institutions (HEI) such as colleges, universities, or other recognized institutions to assess the quality status of these institutions.
• NAAC grades are based on predefined criteria of assessment of quality and performance denoting Very good (A), Good (B), Satisfactory(C), and Unsatisfactory (D) levels respectively. NAAC accreditation is a globally accepted indicator of the credibility and quality of the institution and has bearing on the academic, financial, and perceptual benefits.