Senior Journalist Raish Ahmed Shared How the Al-Falah Controversy Unveiled the Layers of University Accreditation System

The controversy snowballed on November 10, when the blast in Delhi turned the investigative spotlight onto Al-Falah University in Faridabad. No longer was it strictly a security issue; rather, it wore the trappings of an indictment on India's flawed system of university accreditation. Whispers of academic fraud and expired NAAC accreditation highlighted a harsh reality-the system of higher education accreditation in India is in crisis.

Al-Falah's School of Engineering and Technology was accredited "Grade A" only from 2013 to 2018, and the School of Education was accredited from 2011 to 2016. All the same, for almost ten continuous years, both have functioned without valid accreditation but claimed the prestigious "Grade A" status publicly. The official show-cause notice by NAAC rightly called this misleading practice, saying such claims "deceive students and the public."

According to the University Grants Commission, India has 1,074 universities, but only 561 currently have valid NAAC accreditation. That means more than half of the universities in India function without standardized quality checks. This is not just a number; it's a wake-up call that questions the credibility of India's entire higher education model.

When questioned why so many universities lack accreditation, Anil Sahasrabuddhe, Chairman of NAAC's Executive Committee, pointed to a fundamental flaw: the accreditation process is voluntary. If an institution doesn't apply, NAAC can't act. This places a huge responsibility on the government regulators-UGC, AICTE, and state authorities-to enforce stricter rules. Yet, the current system offers incentives for accreditation rather than mandatory compliance.

While this is a well-meaning voluntary accreditation system, it spectacularly fails when institutions prioritize covering up their shortcomings rather than genuine improvement. The brazen display of expired accreditation at Al-Falah University reflects not a mere technical slip-up but a systemic problem which is an evident betrayal of student trust.

The university explained this by saying that the claims of outdated accreditation remained on their website because there had been "website design errors" and that they had subsequently been removed. But such an excuse raises red flags: is it believable that an academic institution would carelessly flaunt nearly decade-old accreditation, or does this speak to deeper pressures to uphold a false image of credibility?

The case of Al-Falah is not an isolated failure but a symptom of a greater crisis that haunts India's higher education landscape: lax regulations, voluntary and inconsistent accreditation, and uncertainty that puts student futures at risk. It is the most vulnerable who suffer-the students who make career decisions in good faith based on valid accreditations.

India urgently needs to move beyond the voluntary model and adopt a mandatory, transparent accreditation system. Otherwise, headlines about "another Al-Falah" will keep emerging, and thousands of students' futures will remain hostage to misinformation and governance gaps. Reform is not optional-it's imperative.

Reflecting on this, the Al-Falah episode underlines broader lessons that need to be driven home in the education sector: Accreditation has to be stringent, in real time, and enforced with accountability. Universities must be bound by law to display only valid status, and false claims should attract penalties. Transparency cannot be an afterthought; it has to be a cornerstone, available to parents, students, and employers.

As a society, we owe our students an education system worthy of their ambitions, a system founded on integrity and trust. The Al-Falah controversy is a clarion call-it's time to end the era of convenient ignorance and progressive decay in university accreditation. Without drastic reforms, India faces the prospect of perpetuating a cycle that does incalculable harm not just to institutions but to the very dreams of millions of Indian youth.

By adopting a zero-compromise policy on accreditation, accompanied by stringent government enforcement and public scrutiny, India can restore faith in its universities and provide globally competitive education. Students deserve nothing less than clarity, honesty, and quality in the institutions shaping their futures. 

This is not just Rais Ahmed 'Lali's opinion; it is an expression of the emergencies of our times. Will regulators and universities rise to this challenge, or will another crisis wait in the wings? Only time will tell, but yes, never has the stakes been higher than now. What are your thoughts on this? Share with us via mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and get a chance to be featured on our education news portal.