IQAC is Internal Quality Assurance Cell a mandatory requirement proposed by NAAC.

We are a group of IQAC coordinators from various colleges in Maharashtra who took an initiative to work for Quality insistence, maintenance, Promotion, assurance and to encourage a Quality culture in and Maharashtra and other states.

“Our way of work is “Co-operation and not competition for good academics within colleges.”

Goals

  • IQAC Cluster has a goal to create a trained and performing IQAC in the higher educational Institutions of with right knowledge, skills and Quality Tools through cooperation within the organizations.
  • To provide a 24 X 7 knowledge support to the remotest institutions in with the easiest available technological support

Objective

  • To bring the remotest colleges in the main stream of educational development with knowledge and technology as a tool for improvement
  • To create an awareness about the processes and procedures of IQAC for creating a healthy work culture.
  • To standardize the procedures and processes of IQAC to segregate different activities of Quality Assurance, quality control, and quality planning.
  • To create a trained IQAC for application of quality tools.
  • To control and monitor processes for continuous improvement at workplace
  • To create a neighbourhood assistance to the IQAC coordinators by creating a network of trained force.
  • To change the thought process of faulty competition within the colleges that creates complex within the organization and in the students.
  • To reduce the hype of “NAAC” and create a thought process where NAAC is a routine standard accreditation process necessary for the organizational work culture.

Our Framework

The Cluster has 220 colleges together with a signed MoU representing eleven Universities from Maharashtra. These colleges represent more than twenty districts from Maharashtra. We also have mentors who are very senior authorities in the concerned fields.

Systemization

  1. Cooperation by continuous communication with each other despite cultural, regional, language, economic, situational, positional rural or any other divide.
    Methodology: WhatsApp groups/ Telegram group and Google groups helps communication over distances and help sharing details. It is a no-nonsense group which is dedicated to discussion on issues such as IQAC, NAAC and areas of higher education.
  2. Promoting quality culture
    Methodology: conducting various types of need based IQAC programs such as

    • Faculty Development programs (FDP) for IQAC coordinators and IQAC personnel,
      • Special workshops for Principals.
      • Introductory and concept workshops for colleges
      • To promote national seminars on the topic with most updated and thought provoking aspects of NAAC related assessments.
  3. Promoting Universities and teaching faculty to think on lesser worked areas that carry good weight and to bring better mechanisms in the colleges and universities.
    Methodology: Conducting workshops for specific workgroups in colleges e.g. – Librarians, examination CEO’s, sports, Placement officers, etc.
  4. Promoting colleges to share resources from nearby region.
    Methodology: MoU’s to share human talent, students, teaching faculty, laboratories, physical infrastructure, and thus help rising quality.

Achievements

  • Formation of clusters: Nine clusters comprising of 220 colleges have been formed and are working well. (Two in Pune, One Solapur, One at Khamgaon, Four in Mumbai, one in Bidar Karnataka. One independent cluster at New Delhi.)
  • Continuous communication amongst members and non-member colleges by the method of Two WhatsApp/ Telegram and Google groups. 1200+ members and about 1000 colleges are present on the Telegram group representing 15 states.
  • Creating expertise and training experts.
  • Conducted six one week FDP’s on IQAC and NAAC methodology at
    • Savitribai Phule Pune University, HRDC Pune
    • Satish Pradhan Dynansadhana College Thane.
    • D. A. V. Velankar College of Commerce, Solapur in association with Solapur University
    • Mumbai University.
    • Faizpur, Jalgaon University, sponsored by Pune HRDC
    • At Otur College, Pune District, Sponsored by Pune HRDC
    • Six hundred IQAC Coordinators and IQAC Personnel have been trained under this project so far.
  • Creating Tie-ups with best resource personnel and creating a pool of IQAC Coordinators ready to help colleges grow.
    Project 1000 – AQAR Related Workshops: Currently as on 23rd July four workshops have been completed on the filing of New AQAR at S.P.N.Doshi College, Ghatkopar, Shroff College Kandivali, Valia College, Andheri and H.V.Desai College, Pune. 400+ IQAC personnel have been trained. The next four are at Vaze College Mulund on 30th July 2019 and at NKTT Thane on 9th August 2019, Jawaharlal Nehru College Aurangabad on 22nd August and at HN College Solapur on 27th August 2019.. 1000 IQAC personnel will be trained under this project by the end of October.
    In-house Programs: these have been conducted for a very large number of colleges for understanding various aspects of quality, NAAC criteria, and IQAC.

    • Analysis of SSR before it is sent to NAAC
    • Pre NAAC visit guidance.
    • Continuous trainings with a purpose.
    • Training programs for Principals and Managements.
    • Meeting and Discussion based sessions to colleges pan Maharashtra.

Association

  1. RUSA Maharashtra
    IQAC Cluster is “Training partner of RUSA Maharashtra”. Four Train the Trainer Programs for creating NAAC trainers have been conducted in Mumbai and Pune. It is a three-step training after which the trainer can conduct his/ her training sessions in other colleges.
  2. University Grants Commission (UGC)
    UGC has formally partnered with IQAC Cluster for Seminar on Best practices and for Launch of “ Paramarsh Scheme in Western Division, under the auspices of Modern College Ganeshkhind
  3. NAAC
    With “Special funding for seminar on Best Practices” NAAC considers Cluster as a torch bearer to promote Accreditation processes in Maharashtra.
  4. Association with Colleges
  • Conducted more than 100 two/ three days FDP’s on NAAC Methodology in various colleges all over from Maharashtra, New Delhi, Bidar (Karnataka) & Silvassa.
  • Continuous 24X 7 telephonic, mail and WhatsApp/ Telegram app support for procedural help to colleges in various NAAC related processes.
  • Quality literature creation and free dissemination of Manuals along with workshops
  • Academic and Administrative Audits that are NAAC compliant provided with methodology of filing and a complete guidance. It has been accepted by many universities.
  • Conducted motre than 50 National and State level Seminars/ Workshops in Maharashtra and four workshops in New Delhi & one at a Silvassa and Bidar Karnataka at national level with a participation of people from multiple states.

Future Actions

  • Currently we have touched only 1000+ colleges. We aim to reach all 40000 colleges and 8000 universities in
  • To create a National Board by Cluster to create local knowledge based leadership and have a good networking.
  • Penetration of this quality activity deeper in to the state of Maharashtra
  • Spread of quality activities all over
  • Formation of new clusters in other states and in Maharashtra.
  • E- bulletins to keep the communication and event spread better.
  • Creating quality as thought of standard rather than it being a buzz word.

The IQAC CLUSTER  logo is devised by Mr. Rohit B. Adling, Member of the IQAC with the help of Mr. Raju T. Gholap, Coordinator of the IQAC of Dadapatil Rajale Arts, Science and Commerce College, Adinathnagar, Pathardi (Maharashtra). It comprises of multi-colored vertical ellipses getting bigger within two circles with the motto “Not Competition But Cooperation”. The ellipses signify that the participating institutions trusting one another and working together get bigger. The yellow colored circle represents clarity of thoughts among the institutions and the red colored circle represents leadership of the institutions in the Higher Education. The slogan “Not Competition But Cooperation” is the ultimate goal of all the participant institutions.