What Is Accreditation:
Accreditation is a process developed mainly in USA in which the
over-all standard maintained by an institution, or the standard of one
or more courses offered by an institution, is ascertained. Once an
institution or course is fully accredited, students and other
institutions can be sure that this institution or course meets a
declared standard.
Submitting
to accreditation is a totally voluntary process, and the peer-review
for accreditation, and the subsequent accreditation, in the USA
is done by private agencies recognized by the appropriate government
department or agency. The American government does not directly get
into the process of accreditation.
The
present system of accreditation started first in the USA in the 1960s
mainly as a method to demonstrate to the US Federal government that the
accredited institution is eligible for receiving Federal funding,
loans,
grants and funds for research. Gradually this practice of
accreditation spread to many western countries, but due to its recent
western origin it has not yet become a universal practice. Nor
is the process of accreditation the same
or identical in non-western countries. Further, only few countries
around the world have anything similar to the American accreditation.
Accreditation In USA:
In the USA, there is no centralized Government authority or
government accrediting body for higher education. Instead, national or
regional private bodies grant
accreditation. Most of the private accrediting bodies in good standing
are granted recognition by the Education department or appropriate
Government agency.
Accreditation In Europe:
An American type system of Accreditation has started evolving in
European countries, but it has not reached complete development yet.
Private agencies, recognized by the government, do the
accreditation in most European countries.
Accreditation In Non-western
Countries:
Accreditation as practiced is still evolving in most non-western
countries. It is
non existent in most. The quality of an institution and the courses it
offers are assessed on several
Accreditation In India:India
has a unique and eclectic system of accreditation. It borrows
from the American as well as the European system, and it also adds
elements unique to the socio-religious milieu of India. This system has
two components: accreditation of secular institutions and accreditation
of institutions run by minority communities.
Christians,
Muslims, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Persians are some of the
recognized minority communities in India. The Constitution of India in
its Clause 32 stipulated that institutions set up and managed by the
minorities (which includes the Christians) shall be given a special
status and special rules shall govern them. Instead of the Department
of Education and common Universities, these institutions were to work
directly under the guidance and control of State and Central
governments.
ICAATS
was established under this clause of the Constitution of India. It is
under this clause that the State Government of Kerala, and the
Government of India granted in 2003 the right of theological
accreditation to ICAATS. More about this can be seen at: Accreditation In India
