With the framing of the model guidelines for private self-financing universities and the proposed establishment of law universities in Aurangabad, Mumbai and the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIFT) in Pune and Nagpur, Higher and Technical Education Minister, Rajesh Tope, is betting big on the education scenario in Maharashtra.
Will private universities help students in the state with cutting-edge knowledge in upcoming streams of education or will it just help existing education barons to expand their empires on capitation fees?
We will ensure that the private universities come up with proposals for new and innovative courses. We do not want them to come up with conventional courses. Besides, there are enough checks in place. If a proposal for setting up a university does not fulfil all the criteria, the scrutiny committee can reject it. The proposal can also be rejected by the Legislative Assembly, where it will be brought as a bill. Every university's proposal will be brought to the Assembly as a separate bill.
With a glut in the number of colleges offering professional courses, the number of seats going vacant in engineering and professional colleges is high in Maharashtra. What do you plan to do about it?
It is the survival of the fittest. The colleges that offer good quality of education will definitely survive, while the rest will perish. Our job is to ensure that the quality of education does not suffer in the bargain and whenever seats go vacant beyond a point, the director of technical education must interfere and the institutions should cancel those courses.
The number of outstation students belonging to outside states securing admissions in colleges in Maharashtra has drastically dipped. This is no longer the hub of education. What do you plan to do about this?
I do not agree to this. Students from other states are still flocking to the state. Though I do not have numbers off hand, the numbers have not reduced.
Besides, there are many professional colleges – engineering and medical – coming up in other states too. This reduces the need for students of these states to come here. But I am sure students belonging to other states will flock to Maharashtra after dedicated Law Universities are established in Aurangabad and Mumbai, while the Indian Institute of Information and Technology in Pune and Nagpur also come up. These institutions will attract the students across from other states too.
What do you plan to do to improve the quality of professional colleges in the state?
We have continuous programme for improvement of quality in engineering colleges. That is called the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP). So it is a natural process and all institutions are part of it
The administration of the University of Mumbai has deteriorated. From glitches in the online registration process to exam goof ups, the university has messed up on every front. Does the department plan to interfere?
We cannot interfere in the day to day administration of the university and university is self governed. But if there is a major problem, we will interfere.
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