Universities across state fail to follow NEP schedule

Mumbai: Following a recent review meeting held in Mumbai, state minister of higher and technical education, Chandrakant Patil, has issued a stern warning to state universities that failed to prepare a plan to implement the New Education Policy (NEP).

With no state university meeting the September 30 deadline, the state on October 10 granted a one-month extension, till October 31, for universities to submit their NEP implementation plans.

In the last meeting held in June, the state government decided to implement NEP in 157 autonomous colleges, and in 1,250 colleges and 13 non-agricultural universities for postgraduate courses. At the same time, the government has decided to fully implement NEP from the academic year 2024-25 in more than 3,500 colleges in Maharashtra.

For smooth stepwise NEP implementation, the department decided on a timetable. The universities were required to analyse potential challenges and propose solutions by September 30, and the final plan was to be ready by December 31.

In the recent meeting, Patil, addressing the committee, asserted that the implementation of NEP should gain momentum. He stressed the importance of adhering to the new policy guidelines and urged universities to expedite the process.

Shailendra Deolankar, director of higher education, said, “The government is very unhappy with the vice-chancellors of state universities and told them to act immediately. Otherwise, they will face action.”

A source from the meeting said only two universities are close to completing their plan, while many other universities are yet to even begin. “For smooth implementation of NEP in the state, the department wants to complete all the necessary planning and academic structural changes by December end. Following this, we plan extensive public awareness campaigns in every district to acquaint the public with the NEP,” said Deolankar.

In line with NEP’s cluster formation of colleges and universities, Patil acknowledged Maharashtra’s leadership but also stressed the need for the state to be at the forefront of NEP implementation. Patil also highlighted the necessity of close coordination with the central government. To ensure this, he instructed universities to appoint a representative to visit Delhi monthly and ensure compliance with the central government’s guidelines on NEP implementation.