Maharashtra Minister Chandrakant Patil Assures Unaided Colleges Of Positive Steps On Rural Issues, NEP, Fees & Staff

Mumbai: Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant (Dada) Patil on Tuesday assured representatives of unaided colleges that the state government would take positive steps to address several long-pending issues affecting institutions, particularly those located in rural, tribal, hilly, drought-prone and Naxal-affected regions.

Review meet discusses funding, quality, NEP reforms

Chairing a review meeting at Mantralaya, Patil said the government would examine all demands falling within its jurisdiction, including financial support for permanently unaided colleges, measures to improve academic quality, incentives for research, participation in university-level funding, staff-related policies, and reforms required under the National Education Policy (NEP).

The meeting was attended by Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Prakash Abitkar, Additional Chief Secretary of the Higher and Technical Education Department B. Venugopal Reddy, Director of Higher Education Dr. Shailendra Deolankar, Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education Director Dr. Pramod Naik, senior department officials, Shivaji University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Rajneesh Kamat, representatives of the Maharashtra State Unaided Colleges Association, and other officials.

Association submits memo on rural college challenges

During the meeting, the Maharashtra State Unaided Colleges Association submitted a detailed memorandum highlighting challenges faced by permanently unaided colleges across the state. Patil assured the delegation that the government would conduct a detailed study of the demands and take necessary action on matters that fall under the state's authority.

One of the major concerns raised by the association was the implementation of the University Grants Commission's (UGC) 2024 regulations, which mandate NET, SET or PhD qualifications for faculty appointments. Representatives said the new norms have made it difficult for unaided colleges, particularly in rural areas, to recruit eligible teaching staff. They also sought a minimum one-year recognition period for such institutions.

Patil says UGC norms beyond state, but eyes 1-year recognition

Responding to the demand, Patil clarified that the UGC qualification norms are outside the state government's jurisdiction. However, he said the government would positively consider the proposal to grant unaided colleges recognition for a minimum period of one year.

The issue of increasing tuition fees for unaided undergraduate programmes, including Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) and Bachelor of Science (BSc), also came up during the discussions. Patil directed the concerned officials to conduct a comprehensive review of the fee revision proposal and explore the scope for appropriate action in accordance with existing regulations.

The assurances come as unaided colleges continue to seek greater policy support amid rising operational costs and changing regulatory requirements in the higher education sector.

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