Panel to study splitting Mumbai varsity

The state’s higher and technical education department has set up a nine-member advisory panel to decide whether it is feasible to bifurcate the state’s three biggest universities – in Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune. There have been growing concerns among academicians over the slipping standard of higher
and technical education in these institutes. These three universities have more than 500 colleges affiliated to them. This is seen as a constraint in improving education quality.

The panel, headed by Dr Ram Takawale, former chairman of National Assessment and Accreditation Council, has been asked to submit a report within three months after looking at existing national and international trends and governance practices.

It has also been asked to decide whether there should be independent universities for specific subjects and the number of colleges that should be allied to a university, among other things.

The department, in its government resolution (GR) of August 23, had said that the panel would decide whether these universities should be bifurcated to create more universities.

The GR states that the National Knowledge Commission recommends an ideal ration of 150 colleges to one university. Given the current statistics, the state will have to add 18 new universities by 2015 to meet the commission’s standards