The Maharashtra higher and technical education department has constituted an expert committee to prepare a comprehensive policy facilitating the conversion of unaided government colleges into private universities for greater autonomy and momentum. The report is to be submitted within two months.
Committee Composition and Mandate
Minister of higher education Chandrakant Patil announced on Wednesday that former vice-chairman of the University Grants Commission, Dr. Bhushan Patwardhan, will chair the committee. The committee will examine eligibility criteria for conversion, minimum academic performance of colleges, infrastructure requirements, and quality of research. It will study the academic, technical, financial, and administrative aspects of conversion and submit recommendations to the government.
Several educational institutions had been requesting that their aided colleges be permitted to convert into private universities. The deputy secretary of the higher and technical education department, university education, and the state director of higher education will be members of the committee. The joint director of higher education, Pune division, will serve as coordinator and member secretary.
Key Areas of Focus
Patil's statement outlined the committee's scope: "The committee will also study the policy to be followed regarding salary and non-salary grants provided by the government after conversion, as well as matters related to the employees' provident fund." It will make recommendations on service conditions, seniority, protection of rights, and consent of existing teaching and non-teaching staff. Additionally, the committee will suggest guidelines to ensure that reservation for backward class students is protected and fee regulation for general students is addressed.
The committee will further examine the feasibility of multidisciplinary institutions in line with the National Education Policy and clarify the policy regarding land allotted by the government.
Degree Certificates on DigiLocker
In a related development, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil has directed that after the declaration of results and completion of due verification, degree certificates be uploaded on the DigiLocker immediately. Students should not be made to wait until the convocation ceremony.
He noted that many students apply to foreign universities, higher education institutions, scholarships, internships, and employment opportunities soon after their results are declared. However, they face difficulty in submitting their degree certificates within the prescribed deadline because of the gap between result declaration and convocation. Patil has directed the department to take necessary steps to ensure universities in the state follow a uniform process to upload degree certificates on DigiLocker.
