The state government of Maharashtra has decided to extend the approval deadline for new colleges for the academic year 2018-19. The approval norms laid down by the Maharashtra Public Universities Act will be diluted.
An ordinance to push back the deadlines for receiving applications from new colleges will soon be tabled in the cabinet. With the delay in deadline, more new colleges will be able to apply for approval for 2018-19. This can lead to a vast change in the Perspective Plan 2018-19. The proposal to extend the deadlines has not yet been accepted by the state cabinet.
According to the Act, the Perspective Plan for higher education in Maharashtra, the deadline for receiving applications from new colleges was September 30, 2017 whereas government is supposed to approve these applications by November 30, 2017.
Vinod Tawde, State Education Minister, refused to comment on the matter and said that the Maharashtra State Commission for Higher Education and Development (MAHED) will make its decision after studying the findings of the expert committee that was appointed to review the Perspective Plans submitted by the state universities.
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This is not the first time that the deadline for the approval of colleges was extended. In 2016, the deadline was extended from June 25 to July 31 and then to August 5 in order to receive applications from more colleges.
According to reports, some of the new college applications were approved despite the colleges failing to fulfill certain requirements. However, no confirmation has been provided regarding the same.