India, Dec. 3 -- The state government has instructed all colleges to secure NAAC accreditation as soon as possible but the tech and systemic issues are not keeping up with the mandate.

Colleges say technical challenges with the government's portal as well as changes in the accreditation system itself are preventing them from applying for the all-important accreditation, since June 2024.

NAAC accreditation has become a contentious issue ever since the state higher and technical education department found that more than half the colleges in Maharashtra have been operating without the mandatory National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) assessment. Of the 3,858 government-aided and unaided colleges in the state, only 1,877 instit...