‘Additional posts will put strain on varsities’

The draft of the new Maharashtra Universities Act 2015 has tried to make administrative work of universities much easier by creating additional posts. It has also tried to bring transparency and put an end to corruption by introducing fee regulatory bodies and boards for appointments of staff in colleges. Experts, however, say that the additional boards and posts will put an added burden on the finances of the universities, which are barely getting grants from the government.

According to the draft, to ensure that the sub-campuses of the universities function without a hiccup, new posts for directors will be created. These directors will be responsible for the

sub-campuses and the post would be on a full-time basis. Another important change that the draft has included is the setting up of boards for fee fixation and appointment of teachers in colleges. “Private unaided colleges have been functioning without any control and collect fees at will. If the draft is enacted, the fee fixation board will act as a deterrent for colleges from collecting exorbitant fees as well as initiate action against errant colleges. The corruption involved in the appointment of teachers will also be curbed by the concerned board,” said a senior University of Mumbai professor. He, however, added that while the Act has tried to curb corruption at the college level it does not have a similar rule for university appointments.

Another official, however, added that the creation of new posts would put an added burden on the finances of the university. “The university functions on a no-profit basis, hence there is as such no income from the services provided. The appointment of persons on full-time basis will either lead to the university running in deficit or having to increase charges for services being provided. The government should look into this and ensure that such a situation does not arise as it will not be student friendly,” said the official.

In departure from the previous procedure, the draft has made perspective plans a five-year affair over the previous annual process. This, according to experts, could be a bane or a boon depending on the need for new colleges and additional divisions in colleges that are present in mofussil areas. “Some college managements apply for self-financing courses and divisions depending on the demand for the same. Hence, if perspective plans are made every five years, if the need for starting new courses arises it will not be possible to do so, hence the five years should be reduced to two years,”said another expert.