Introduction
The University Grants Commission (UGC), India has (in the XI Plan) made a policy decision to direct all Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to establish Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC). It has also issued guidelines for the establishment and monitoring of IQACs. The basic objective behind establishment of the IQAC is to initiate, monitor, mentor and review for revised action taken on the academic activities of the college under the guidance and leadership of the college administration.
Maintaining the momentum of quality consciousness is crucial in HEIs. Internal Quality Assurance Cell, an internal quality assurance mechanism of the college, is conceived as a mechanism to build and ensure a quality culture at the institutional level. Every HEI should have an internal quality assurance system, with appropriate structure and processes, and with enough flexibility to meet the diverse needs of the stakeholders. The IQAC is meant for planning, guiding and monitoring Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Enhancement (QE) activities of the HEIs. The IQAC may channelize and systematize the efforts and measures of the college towards academic excellence. It should not be another hierarchical structure or record-keeping exercise in the college; it would be a facilitative and participative organ of the college. The IQAC should become a driving force for ushering in quality by working out intervention strategies to remove deficiencies and enhance quality.
IQAC of the college works in true spirit of the academia: it organizes and monitors various academic activities in regard of revision and execution in curriculum, orientation on new trends in teaching-learning processes and continuous internal evaluation (CIE), promoting faculty and students for research, orientation/ training programmes for fellow faculty and administrative staff, creation of democratic and participative ambience through providing representation to students on academic committees and initiating for innovative/ ‘out of the box’ activities. It also conducts feedback on various activities and practices for quality sustenance. Conduction of audits: gender, energy, environment/ green is a part of its policy. It guides on and maintains documentary evidences therein for various higher education requirements. It organizes and undergoes quality assessment and accreditation processes internal and external viz. NAAC/ AAA/ NIRF/ ISO, etc. periodically. The continuous follow up mechanism formal as well as informal enhances quality ambience on the campus. With all these ‘quality assurance’ in academic standing of the college, IQAC executes itself to be the one to ensure quality and continuous improvement in all the aspects of the college.