Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil on Tuesday directed all public universities in the state to adopt a common academic calendar to ensure effective implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP).
He also asked universities to prepare an academic framework for effectively introducing the fourth-year honours degree programme from the academic years 2026-27 and 2027-28.
Universities Asked To Interact With Students Regularly
Patil chaired an online meeting of vice-chancellors of all public universities in Maharashtra at Mantralaya, during which various issues concerning higher education in the state were reviewed.
The minister directed vice-chancellors and pro-vice-chancellors of every university to interact with at least 50 students once a week to directly understand their academic concerns and other difficulties. They have also been asked to submit reports to the government on the problems raised by students and the measures taken to address them.
NEP Implementation Through College Clusters
For effective implementation of the NEP, Patil directed universities to identify clusters of colleges and promote sharing of available manpower, infrastructure, laboratories, libraries and other academic resources among institutions within these clusters.
He also called for a workshop for heads of examination controller departments to study the manner in which NEP is being implemented in other states. The minister further directed officials to examine cluster-based courses developed by the University of Mumbai and other universities and prepare comprehensive and quality cluster courses suitable for the state.
Each university has also been asked to conduct at least one cluster activity every month.
Patil directed authorities to take immediate steps to introduce a common academic calendar for all public universities from the academic year 2026-27. The required calendar should be finalised within a week and implemented, he said.
The minister also called for greater uniformity among universities in accordance with the workload norms prescribed by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Universities were asked to introduce uniformity in necessary courses as well.
Expressing concern over incidents of question paper leaks, Patil directed the department to prepare and publish guidelines on the lines of the Central government to prevent such cases. He also called for a circular clearly fixing the responsibility of concerned officers and employees in cases of question paper leaks and issuing necessary instructions to prevent such incidents.
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