FUNCTIONING OF INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE CELLS WITH REFERENCE TO QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PRACTICES IN NAAC ACCREDITED COLLEGES of ODISHA

Abstract

The new millennium unfolded with the science of quality inter alia triggering the movements for quality assurance newlinein higher education both at global and local levels. It is widely recognised that the quality higher education newlinepromotes comprehensive and multi-level development by enhancing human and technical capabilities of the newlinesociety. Higher education is the apex level of education, which produces knowledge leaders, technicians, teachers, newlineprofessors, engineers, doctors, lawyers, scientists and other similar professionals to determine the progress of newlinehuman society. The institutional and technical determinisms are the key to development and quality improvement newlinein higher education. Quality assurance in higher education has been one of the major challenges emerged on the newlinedevelopment agenda not only in India but elsewhere in the world. The National Assessment and Accreditation newlineCouncil (NAAC) plays the vital role in quality assurance of higher education in India. The present study focuses newlineon the functioning of the Internal Quality Assurance Cells (IQAC) with reference to quality improvement practices newlinein NAAC accredited colleges of Odisha. The study explores the status of quality improvement practices initiated newlineby IQAC and endeavours to examine their perceived utility. Further, the study peeps into the strategies adopted newlineby IQAC in relation to follow-up activities during post accreditation period and also examines the problems and newlineconstraints faced by IQAC in institutional context and quality improvement process. newline