12 autonomous MU colleges granted ‘empowered’ tag

Mumbai: The University of Mumbai (MU) granted ‘empowered’ autonomy to 12 affiliated colleges on Friday. This means that now these colleges will be able to award joint degrees, start new programmes, fix fees for courses, design curriculum and prescribe rules for admissions, among other privileges.

The 12 colleges include some of the noted names like St Xavier’s, Mithibai, Somaiya, and Ruia among others, who have received the Empowered Autonomous College (EAC) status for the next ten years, starting the academic year 2023–24.

The tag follows the recommendation of the recently held MU’s academic council meeting, which was accepted by the management council. According to the National Education Policy (NEP), EACs will follow the course of awarding degrees in the future.

“We are very happy to hear that we received the EAC status; now, we will be different from other autonomous colleges across the state,” said Rajendra Shinde, principal, St Xavier’s College.

In addition to starting new certificates, diplomas, degrees, and postgraduate courses, the EACs will get freedom for ancillary matters like starting PhD courses and determining the fee structure of courses with the approval of the university. EACs will also get the opportunity to restructure the courses running in colleges, change the names of the courses as per the nomination of the University Grants Commission (UGC), prescribe the method of evaluation, announce the results, and award the mark sheet.

Pradnya Prabhu, principal, KJ Somaiya College of Science and Commerce, Vidyavihar, said, “We received autonomy in 2012. After 11 years, we will climb one ladder again. This is a very proud moment for all of us. This status will help us to easily implement the New Education Policy (NEP) in our college.”

Professor Ravindra Kulkarni, vice-chancellor, MU, said, “According to the notification of the UGC and the state government, 12 autonomous colleges affiliated to the MU that have achieved excellence and high-level status are being granted the status of empowered autonomous colleges for the next ten years from the academic year 2023–24.”

He further added that a maximum of 59 autonomous colleges in the state are affiliated with MU, and this is an important step towards academic autonomy.

While appreciating the progressive approach of colleges, professor Ajay Bhamre, pro vice-chancellor (PVC), MU, said, “The highest number of applications by autonomous colleges affiliated to MU for EAC status is a welcome development, which reflects the progressive approach of these colleges in the field of education.”

The application was scrutinised by the committee appointed under the chairmanship of PVC.

While stating the importance of autonomy to engineering colleges, professor BN Chaudhari, principal of Sardar Patel Institute of Technology (non-aided), said, “In 2003, the College of Engineering in Pune got the first autonomy in the state, and a new era of higher education started. In 2023, higher education in the state will achieve another milestone after providing EAC to the colleges. This is the beginning of the journey from affiliated college to university.”