Categories

Behavioral Sciences

From Compliance to Conscience: Rethinking Governance through Accreditation

Authors

By 
Sneh Lata
Sneh Lata, Assistant Professor and H.O.D Department of Political Science G.C.Rithoj Gurugram, Affiliated to Gurugram University Gurugram, Haryana. India
Orcid https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8195-6491

Dr. Sneh Lata is an Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science at Government College, Rithoj, Gurugram. With over six years of dedicated teaching experience, she has established herself as a distinguished academician and recognized subject matter expert.
 An avid researcher, Dr. Lata has published 14 research papers and contributed 28 chapters to various edited volumes. She has also presented 20 research papers at prestigious national and international conferences. Her core research and academic expertise span the critical areas of gender issues, politics, higher education, and contemporary societal challenges, driving meaningful discourse in her field.

STAR SCHOLARS PRESS

Published

Publication date : August 6, 2026

Synopsis

This chapter rethinks accreditation as a form of higher education governance, moving from compliance to conscience. It argues that accreditation has shifted from collegial quality assurance toward audit-driven regimes dominated by documentation, standardization, and measurable indicators. Drawing on governance theory and critical higher education studies, the chapter shows how compliance culture can burden faculty, narrow quality definitions, and reinforce inequality. It proposes ethical, mission-sensitive, participatory, and developmental accreditation models that strengthen public purpose, academic autonomy, and institutional integrity.

Copyright

Copyright (c) 2026 STAR SCHOLARS PRESS