29 July 2019 OUTLOOK 73
arch papers cooked up by
universities due to the pres-
sures of accreditation.
Research as a parameter for
evaluation of universities
needs to be redefined based
on the nature of the institute.
There should be options for
applied and action research
as well. Take Centurion
University for example.
Through its social enterprise
Gram Tarang, one of the first
partners of the National Skill
Development Corporation, it
has created employment
opportunities for more than
200,000 marginalised youth.
In the NAAC system, how-
ever, no matter how massive
the social impact, such inter-vention by a university is not
relevant for ranking.F
OR an institution to
realise its potential, there
must be an enabling
environment and scope
for innovation and creativity
amidst a certain amount of
standardisation and uni-
formity. The accreditation
process should adopt a more
integrated approach, but
unfortunately, it has institu-
tionalised inequity.
While most of the criteria
for accreditation are generic
and can be applied to any
institution, some need to be
suitably adapted to the spe-
cific context of the university.Beyond Resea rch
Educational institutions must promote
community-building, problem-solving
and entrepreneurship