Mumbai: The Maharashtra government is looking to expand higher education opportunities in the state by adding as many as 1,499 colleges in the next five years.
The Maharashtra State Commission for Higher Education and Development (MAHED), which is headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, on Wednesday approved the new perspective plans of the state's public universities for 2024-29. While the universities had collectively proposed 1,537 slots for new colleges, the government body sanctioned 1,499 of them.
In the last cycle 2019-24, the state had initially approved 1,059 slots for new colleges, but later added 2,819 more slots after proposals. However, only 593 institutes were given final approvals.
According to the All-India Survey of Higher Education 2020-21, the state has 4,532 colleges and 2,153 stand-alone higher education with a combined 49.94 lakh enrolment.
The perspective plans, which serve as future roadmaps for the universities, include provision for new courses, faculties and colleges in different regions under their respective jurisdictions. The plans seek to achieve equitable distribution of higher education facilities by focusing on unserved and under-developed areas of the state. The varsities are required to consider the social and economic needs, job opportunities available and requirements of the industry to prepare these plans.
The plans usually include only traditional Arts-Science-Commerce, law and fine arts colleges and courses, as the professional education institutes such as engineering, pharmacy, management and teacher training, require approval from their respective national apex bodies.
In addition to five-year plans, the varsities are also required to make annual perspective plans in line with their long-term roadmap. Following MAHED"s approval, the varsities issue advertisements inviting applications from educational societies to set up colleges in the locations charted in their respective annual plans. After a scrutiny process, the government issues Letters of Intent to the select organisations, which are required to fulfill various academic, financial and administrative norms in a stipulated time before they are given final permission to start college.
