Make higher education student-centric, urges Maharashtra Governor

Governor of Maharashtra K Sankaranarayanan urged the need to speed up the reform process in higher education in the state and make it student-centric.

At a meeting held at Raj Bhavan yesterday, the Governor directed the chairmen of three high power committees appointed by the state government on improving the quality and standards of higher education, to submit their reports at the earliest.

This meeting was held two days ahead of the meeting of Vice Chancellors to review the work being done by them.

The state government had appointed separate committees last year on the three issues ---- improving the quality and standards of higher education in the state, review and amendment of the Maharashtra Universities Acts, 1994, and also bifurcation of large universities in the state.

The committees have suggested a broad policy framework for creating an atmosphere in the state to attract investment in education, to bring quality improvement and to make higher education student-centric.

Chairman of the committee on 'Improving the Standards and Quality of Higher Education' Dr Anil Kakodkar, chairman of the committee on 'Review of Universities' Act' Dr Arun Nigavekar and members of the committee including Dr Raghunath Mashelkar, Dr Vijay Bhatkar, Kumud Bansal, Dr R K Shevgaonkar, Gajanan Ekbote and officials of the state government attended the meeting.

Tomorrow's meeting of Vice Chancellors will be attended by the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Minister for Higher and Technical Education and Secretaries of Government Departments, a Raj Bhavan release said.