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Since independence, education in India,
particularly higher education, has
undergone a unique transformation from elitist to egalitarian group. There has been lot
of expansion of higher education facilities in
India since independence. We can see the expansion
of higher education with increasing speed day by
day in the context of globalization, liberalization
and privatization. But the big question in front of us
is whether the quality is ensured or not. It is saddening to note that out of the 128
universities that got accredited by the National Assessment
and Accreditation Council (NAAC), only 32% could get level `A' or above of rating while another 52%
of them could manage with `B' or above grade. The remaining 16% fall in grade `C' or above.
NAAC assessment further indicates that 68% of
colleges are rated as `B' while another 23% colleges
are rated `C'; and only the remaining 9% are `A'
grade. Thus, the quality assurance in higher education
is the need of the hour.
Quality is defined as "The fitness to use
and conformance to requirement" (Juran, 1984).
"A predictable degree of uniformity and
dependability at low cost and suited to the market"
(Deming, 1986).
"The totality of features and characteristics of
a product or service that bear on its ability to
satisfy stated or implied needs" (American Society
for Quality Control, 1990). "A perception arising as
a consequence of how well a company meets all explicit and implicit promises made to
a stakeholder" (Feigenbaum, 1995).
"A function of competencies in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes, capacity
and competition visa-vis needs" (Goel and
Biswal, 1996). "Product or service possesses quality if
it helps somebody and enjoys a good and sustainable market" (Deming, 1997).
"Resultant from the system that produced
it, and is an attribute of that system as much as of
the product itself – of its processes, its people and
the way they work together" (Holt, 1998).
"Efficiency in meeting the set goals, relevance to human
and environmental needs and conditions and `something more' in relation to the pursuit
of excellence and human betterment" (Rajput
and Walia, 1997). |
