Mumbai, April 08: The Maharashtra government plans to bifurcate all universities in the state to improve the quality of education and administration.
Replying to the debate on the budgetary demands of the higher and technical education department, minister Rajesh Tope told the legislative assembly that a committee had been set up to study the issue and advise the government how to move ahead with the proposal.
The report will be submitted in three months, he said. The aim, he added, is to have 250 colleges affiliated to one university.
There could be campuses of universities like Mumbai and Pune in different parts of the state with independent pro-vice-chancellors, he said.
To improve the quality of education, Tope said he will convene a meeting of all vice-chancellors to discuss the possibility of having a uniform curriculum for all universities in the state.
His department will place the proposal for a separate Gondwana university for Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts before the cabinet next week, Tope said.
The minister announced the introduction of a “modular employment scheme” under the aegis of the Prime Minister’s Skilled Development Mission. Industrial training institutes and technical colleges will be the vocational training providers of 750 short-term modular courses.
“We plan to target five crore skilled workers by 2022. About 40 to 50 lakh young people will be trained every year,” he said.
Tope also announced the formation of a state knowledge commission, on the lines of the National Knowledge Commission set up to transform India into a knowledge society.
He said the government will enact an Unauthorised Institutions Act to protect students from elements who have made education a commercial business.
He also said the Private Universities Bill will be enacted to enable corporate houses to enter education. The bill is currently with a joint select committee of both houses of the state legislature.
The Maharashtra Technology University proposal is currently under the cabinet’s consideration.
—PTI