Large varsities need to be bifurcated, suggest panels

Updated on: Thursday, November 24, 2011

The state’s higher and technical education department received the recommendations of the committees headed by Arun Nigvekar and Ram Takavale, which reviewed the state of affairs in higher education. Some of the key recommendations of the two committees are as follows-by 2015, the state would need 26 new universities for which open resource movement and social networking should be used effectively. College laboratories should act as knowledge resources centres and social activists should be nominated to the universities' senate. The committees also suggested that students participating in cultural activities should be given equal importance.

Another key point the committees made was that large varsities like Pune, Nagpur and Mumbai universities should be bifurcated. It was also recommended that universities set up sub-centres with 500 to 1,000 teachers and expert, where PG programmes could also be offered. The panels said students should be allowed to select a branch of their choice.

Besides, the committees sais the Maharashtra Commission for the Development of Higher Education (MAHED), an apex supervisory and advisory council and an education and development federation should together set up a network to connect all universities, colleges and autonomous institutes. The universities' and district headquarters should form the curriculum on the basis of the local requirement.

Universities should keep up their standards at par with global varsities. Changes in curriculum should be innovative and industry-driven, stated one of the recommendations. To run these knowledge resource centres effectively, committees should be set up. Curriculum should focus on the all-round development of students, including their participation in sports. Ten universities in the state were taken into consideration while making these recommendations.

V-C of Mumbai University, Rajan Welukar, principal secretary of the higher education department, Sanjay Kumar, and higher education minister, Rajesh Tope, were present at the meet. The state will take a final call on the recommendations.

Large varsities need to be bifurcated, suggest panels

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