Surprise visits planned to check girl student facilities in colleges across Maha

While the state government has introduced a scheme to waive tuition fees and examination fees for girls in higher education, many complaints are being received from girl students that they are still being charged fees by colleges/educational institutions. To remedy this situation and ensure implementation of the free education scheme at the college level, higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil has planned surprise visits to over 100 colleges across Maharashtra. As part of this initiative, Patil made a surprise visit to Aba Saheb Garware College, managed by Maharashtra Education Society, Pune, last week. During his visit, Patil assessed the extensive promotion, publicity, and practical implementation of the free education scheme while identifying the challenges faced in the process.

Aba Saheb Garware College, a senior institution, currently has approximately 6,700 students enrolled in the arts, science and commerce streams for the ongoing academic year with 3,550 students out of these being girl students. “It was observed that a significant number of eligible female students have benefitted from this scheme. For permanently unaided courses, faculty salaries are covered by collecting additional fees from students. To reduce the financial burden on students, directives were given to explore possible measures,” said Patil.

To ensure the effective implementation of the Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Tuition Fee Scholarship Scheme, a dedicated nodal officer has been appointed at the college level. Information about the scheme has been prominently displayed at the entrance and on notice boards to promote awareness. The application process for this scheme is currently underway, with March 31, 2025 being the deadline for submission.

“To facilitate this, special camps will be organised at the college level in a mission-mode approach to reach eligible students and assist them in applying through the MahaDBT portal,” Patil said.

The percentage of girls in vocational education is just 36%. According to the new educational policy, efforts are being made to: increase the representation of girls in vocational education, ensure that girls have equal opportunities for education, and prevent girls from being deprived of higher education due to lack of financial support under women’s empowerment. The higher education department has instructed institutions to actively work towards spreading awareness and ensuring maximum participation in the scheme.