DW BUREAU / MOHALI Krishan Kumar, Secretary, Higher Education, Punjab, here today suggested that active teams should be constituted for National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in all institutions. He also advised that every activity performed by the institution should be documented. He was speaking as Chief Guest at a state-level workshop on `Quality Assessment and Accreditation through NAAC' organized by the Department of Higher Education in association with the Rayat Bahra University. Kumar underlined that the institutions must be answerable for the funds received from the government. He also suggested that a list of frequently made mistakes should be prepared so that institutions can avoid such mistakes. He underscored the importance of taking advantage of low-hanging fruit. He said that assessment and accreditation as an external quality assurance mechanism for higher education, has emerged as the most widely accepted and adopted methodology throughout the world. He further added that key performance indicators must be strictly implemented by the institutes and universities for raising the academic standards at higher educational institutions. The workshop, which was attended by principals of different colleges from all over Punjab, started with lighting of the ceremonial lamp. Dr Parvinder Singh, Vice-Chancellor of the Rayat Bahra University, welcoming the delegates attending the workshop said that the workshop was aimed at making the participants aware about necessary inputs required for acquiring NAAC accreditation for their institutions. Dr Pratibha Singh, from NAAC, Delhi, in her quality assessment presentation said that the philosophy of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is based on objective and continuous improvement rather than being punitive or judgmental, so that all institutions of higher learning are empowered to maximize their resources, opportunities and capabilities. (editor@dailyworld.in)