Accreditation is one of the most important tools used globally for quality assurance. There are two types of accreditation; institutional accreditation and programme accreditation. The Bhutan Accreditation Council (BAC) started with institutional accreditation, and depending on the need it may initiate programme accreditation in future, as deemed appropriate. Accreditation aims to assure educational quality and accountability, and encourages quality enhancement. It entails a continuous process to help Tertiary Education Institutions (TEIs) analyze its functions, mission, assess its own performance, review its planning procedure and identify ways to enhance it is educational effectiveness. Accreditation is mandatory for all the TEIs in Bhutan.
Accreditation is based on the following six core standards:
- Curricular Elements
- Research, Innovative practices & Institutional linkages
- Governance, Leadership and Management
- Infrastructure & Learning resources
- Student support
- Internal QA and Enhancement system
The Council conducted pilot accreditation in 2015 with help of two experts from Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA). Thereafter, the Council, over three years, has trained five batches of accreditors and currently the Council has a pool of twenty two trained accreditors. The Council embarked on real accreditation in 2016 and by the end of 2018 the first cycle of accreditation was completed for all the TEIs in Bhutan. Out of the 13 TEIs accredited, one TEI is in “A+” category, eight TEIs were in” A” category, three TEIs in “B” category and one TEI in “C” category.
The details accreditation status are as follow:
|
S/No |
Institutions |
Date of Site Visit |
Grade |
Validity of Certificate |
Accreditor’s Report |
|
1. |
Gaeddu College of Business Studies |
23 - 26 May 2016 |
A (Very Good) |
28.06.2022 |
|
|
2. |
Royal Thimphu College |
1 - 4 June 2016 |
A+(Excellent) |
28.06.2023 |
|
| 3. |
Arura Academy of Health Sciences |
21-24 October 2019 | C (Satisfactory) | 15.12.2022 | ➢ View report |
|
4. |
Faculty of Nursing and Public Health |
12 - 15 June 2017 |
B (Good) |
27.06.2022 |
|
|
5. |
Faculty of Traditional Medicine |
5 - 8 June 2017 |
B (Good) |
27.06.2022 |
|
|
6. |
Paro College of Education |
22 - 25 May 2017 |
B (Good) |
27.06.2022 |
|
|
7. |
Samtse College of Education |
15 - 18 May 2017 |
A (Very Good) |
27.06.2023 |
|
| 8. |
College of Science and Technology |
6-9 November 2017 | A (Very Good) | 07.01.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 9. |
Jigme Namgyel Engineering College |
13-16 November 2017 | A(Very Good) | 07.01.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 10. |
Sherubtse College |
20-23 November 2017 | A (Very Good) | 07.01.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 11. |
College of Natural Resources |
19-22 March 2018 | A (Very Good) | 09.05.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 12. |
College of Language and Culture Studies |
26-29 March 2018 | A (Very Good) | 09.05.2024 | ➢ View report |
| 13. |
Royal Institute of Management |
2-5 April 2018 | A (Very Good) | 09.05.2024 | ➢ View report |