UNIMPRESSED: NAAC Team Tells NBU to Improve Its Sports, Hostel and Library Facilities, and Not to Plant Trees One Day Ahead of Its Visit

UNIMPRESSED: NAAC Team Tells NBU to Improve Its Sports, Hostel and Library Facilities, and Not to Plant Trees One Day Ahead of Its Visit

A six-member National Assessment and Accreditation Council team yesterday advised the North Bengal University to upgrade infrastructure for sports and improve its hostels and libraries.

"The sports facility at the university needs to be improved. Students have to be involved in sports when they are young, not when they grow up to be 22 or 23 years and come with somebody's recommendation. The university should be able to produce students who participate in international events and can bring gold medals," said R.C. Sobti, chairman of the NAAC - an autonomous body of UGC that assesses and accredits institutions of higher education - team.

He said the library should be improved.

"The catering system in hostels should be improved so that students get good food. The authorities should ensure that other facilities like a fully functional health centre and housing for employees are provided," Sobti said at the exit meeting after a three-day visit.

The team had arrived here on November 21.

The NBU had been accredited with B++ grade in 2006.

Sobti said he was happy with the visit. "But we would have preferred if the heads of departments gave us presentations. Instead, the responsibility was delegated to the deans.... There are certain things that you need to take care of like transparency. I was pained to see that some departments planted trees to welcome us. You don't have to do anything of that sort. There should not be any artificiality," he said.

The team handed its report to the NBU vice-chancellor.

[Via: Telegraph]