NAEAB Reviews Accreditation Process, Emphasises Reforms to Strengthen Agricultural Higher Education

25 October 2026, New Delhi

The National Agricultural Education Accreditation Board (NAEAB), under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), held a review and reforms meeting at the National Agricultural Science Complex (NASC), New Delhi, today, in hybrid mode, under the chairmanship of Dr M. L. Jat, Secretary, DARE and Director General, ICAR.

The meeting reviewed the accreditation peer review reports of Agricultural Universities and agriculture faculties across the country, assessed the progress made by agricultural institutions in strengthening the quality of higher education, and deliberated on the existing accreditation process and the need for further reforms.

Dr M. L. Jat emphasised the need to reform the agricultural accreditation system and reimagine the agricultural education ecosystem to prepare a future-ready workforce. He stressed the importance of modernising course curricula to equip students with relevant skills and competencies to meet emerging challenges and opportunities. He also highlighted accreditation as a key instrument for ensuring academic excellence, institutional accountability and continuous quality improvement in agricultural education.

Dr Yashpal Singh Malik, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Education), highlighted various reforms being introduced in ICAR’s accreditation system to make the process more user-friendly and facilitate ease of doing business. He emphasised the inclusion of emerging and cutting-edge areas in the accreditation framework, along with a continued focus on quality enhancement. He also underscored the role of NAEAB in facilitating the accreditation process, strengthening institutional preparedness and encouraging eligible institutions to submit their applications in a timely manner.

The deliberations further highlighted the importance of strengthening institutional infrastructure, faculty development, curriculum modernisation, research–teaching–extension linkages, student learning outcomes and industry–academia collaboration to enhance the quality, relevance and effectiveness of agricultural education.

Dr Ajit Singh Yadav, Assistant Director General (Education Quality Assurance and Reforms), Agricultural Education Division, presented the activities undertaken by the accreditation secretariat.

The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks to the Chair, reaffirming ICAR-NAEAB’s commitment to strengthening the accreditation framework and promoting quality, relevance and excellence in agricultural higher education across the country.