State-sponsored e-Suvidha scheme a must for all varsities

Updated on: Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The state government has made it mandatory for all universities, including deemed varsities and autonomous institutions, to adopt the e-Suvidha scheme, which provides online facilitation services for students, teachers and administrators.

An announcement was made jointly by state director for higher education R V Kirdak and Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited (MKCL) managing director Vivek Sawant.

The MKCL is a unique special purpose vehicle (SPV) promoted by the state government and the universities, primarily for integrating information and communication technology (ICT) in various academic, administrative and teaching functions of the institutions of higher education.

The knowledge corporation has designed the 'Digital University' software platform, which is at present being used for providing e-Suvidha services at seven universities including the North Maharashtra University at Jalgaon, Solapur, Kolhapur, Mumbai and Nagpur universities, and is expected to be rolled out in another three universities.

Kirdak said, “We have issued letters on April 20 to 17 state universities, deemed varsities and autonomous institutions, asking them to get into a formal tie up with the MKCL by May 15 to facilitate implementation of e-Suvidha services. Earlier, the department for higher and technical education also issued a circular on February 11 making the scheme mandatory."

Sawant said, “All institutions of higher education must take a constructive approach towards implementing these online services, keeping in view the immense benefits they offer to students, teachers and administrators.” Already, close to 20 lakh students are benefitting from the services at the seven universities. "The move to make the scheme mandatory, would bring another 15 lakh students within the ambit of these services," he added.

The state had issued a government resolution (GR) on June 29, 2006, detailing implementation of the e-Suvidha scheme for students at universities and colleges through the MKCL. The universities had to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with MKCL, which would provide the necessary infrastructure for online services, and start entering data of their admitted students, teachers and other administrative details.

It would lead to the creation of a comprehensive management information system (MIS), which would be helpful not only for the institutions and students, but also for the government machinery in securing precise information about teachers, students, academic courses, affiliation, eligibility, migration etc. at the click of the mouse. Information relating to job opportunities, competitive exams, scholarships and other utilities was also to be provided online.

Over the years though, the scheme found few takers as only 10 out of the total 27 existing state universities, deemed varsities and autonomous institutions have signed the MoU with MKCL while the remaining 17 have stayed away from implementing the scheme. Even out of the 10 who have signed the MoU, the three universities of Amravati, Nanded and SNDT, Mumbai, have yet to take steps to operationlise e-Suvidha services.

Those who have not signed the MoU include University of Pune (UoP) and other premier city-based institutions like the Deccan College and Post Graduate Research Institution; Bharati Vidyapeeth; D Y Patil Vidyapeeth; Symbiosis International University; Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth; Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics and the Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER) which is an autonomous institution promoted by the Union government.

Other institutions that have not adopted the scheme are Dr Homi Bhabha National Institute, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Institute of Chemical Technology, International Institute of Population Science, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and Tata Institute of Social Sciencs, all based in Mumbai; and Kavi Kulguru Kalidas Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Nagpur.

Joint director of higher education R R Deshpande and general manager of MKCL’s e-Governance programme Atul Wadegaonkar were present.

E-SUVIDHA SERVICES

- Online information, administrative and learning services besides employment assistance services to youth (EASY)
- Web portal management, academic programme, eligibility, registration management, examination management, meeting, messaging and robus MIS
- Digital college portal, college administration, fee management, MIS college and principal’s dashboard
- The services are also aimed at aiding strategic planning and policy making by the department of higher education

HOW IT ALL STARTED

- The genesis of the e-Suvidha scheme lies in the report on reforms in higher education that was submitted in December 2000 by an expert panel constituted by the state government under former UoP vice chancellor Prof Ram Takwale.
- According to MKCL MD Vivek Sawant, the Takwale panel strongly recommended steps by the government for integration of information and communication technology (ICT) in various academic and administrative functions of institutes of higher learning. This was to be in tune with the changing requirements of globalisation and internationalisation of higher education.
- “The state cabinet then held an elaborate discussion on how to implement ICT in institutes of higher learning and it was realised that the move can not be effected internally by the universities owing to their limitations. A special purpose vehicle (SPV) was hence mooted and the MKCL came into existence as a unique government - universities partnership model. The universities account for 40% of share capital in the knowledge corporation,” said Sawant.
- A policy for introducing ICT in institutions of higher education was laid through the June 2006 GR and the MoU draft too was prepared by the secretary to H&TE department, he said. "The scheme was formally announced at a higher education conference held on September 21, 2007, in presence of all vice chancellors, the then chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, then H&TE minister Dilip Walse-Patil and other ministers," he added.
- "While the government and the MKCL were pursuing with the universities to adopt the services, the same are now all the more crucial considering the Union government emphasis on increasing the gross enrolment ratio (GER) i.e. percentage of students in the relevant age group of 17 to 23 accessing higher education, from existing 12-odd per cent to 30% by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan, which commences from 2012 to 2017," he said.
- He said, the universities too have been found wanting on several occasions in providing key information to the state government owing to lack of accurate and consolidated data. "All this makes the e-Suvidha services imperatrive," he added.

State-sponsored e-Suvidha scheme a must for all varsities

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