Societal Expectation and Institutional Accountability In Higher Education

Higher education institutions are vested with the responsibility of grooming a generation of
youth through providing quality education and skills, matching the requirements of a
harmonious, self-reliant and developed society, and values inclined to serve with selfless
devotion in whatever capacity they assume and wherever they work. The society at large looks
up to the institutions to address their needs through enhancing educational opportunity,
maintaining quality, increasing employability, solving community-based problems, creating a
pool of human resources, promoting inter-institutional collaborations and maintaining harmony
with the outer environment. In order to achieve this, institution formulates action plans for all the
operational processes such as admission, teaching, placement, personality development, support
services, social responsibility etc. through strategic planning. The perspective plan of the
institution clearly spells out its accountability. Leadership is groomed both at the student level and
teacher level in academics, career, programme organization, sports and games and cultural
activities through setting standards, measuring performance, ensuring discipline, character
formation, and personality building. Quality assurance mechanisms involve the stakeholders
namely parents, students, institutions, industry, and community to ensure satisfaction and
compliance. Through objective criteria such as results and placement, outreach activities, events
and programmes, feedback etc. the institution monitors to maintain accountability. This paper
discusses the societal expectation and institutional accountability through a case study of
Srinivas Institute of Management Studies (SIMS).