None of 49 new MU colleges will offer skill-based courses

MUMBAI: The University of Mumbai (MU) has approved proposals for 49 new affiliated colleges in the area under its purview. However, not a single 'skill development' college is included in the list, despite the state government and the varsity encouraging the creation of such institutes.

The varsity, in its perspective plan for the academic year 2019-20, had provided slots for eight colleges for skill-based courses – one for each district in its jurisdiction.

These institutes are aimed at providing vocational education to students and making them more employable.

According to a university official, despite the provisions for skill development colleges, no educational organisation applied for them at MU during the current approval cycle.

According to Sanjay Shetye, a member of the university senate, the educational organisations are reluctant to start skill development colleges owing to lack of clarity about these institutes. "There was no idea about skill development colleges. No details were provided as to what kind of programmes will be available at these institutes," he said.

An aide to education minister Vinod Tawde said that more efforts need to be taken to promote skill education in the state. "We need to consider mobility of students and the existing curricular framework of the University Grants Commission (UGC) while introducing skill-based courses. Currently, the universities lack the capacity to manage such programmes," he said.

As many as 86 such colleges have been proposed by 11 non-ag- Type of college Arts, Science, Commerce

Law Special Arts, Science, Commerce (Night)

Arts, Science, Commerce (Ladies)

BED Fine Arts / Performing Arts Architecture Pharmacy Management Physical Education

Social Science Skill Development

Total

AIDE TO EDUCATION MINISTER VINOD TAWDE

ricultural public universities in the state.

In its recent perspective plan, which provides a blueprint for the expansion of higher education opportunities in the region, MU had provided for 63 new institutes. The varsity officials had said the current plan is based on the vocational needs of a region and the demands of the people living in the area.

After inviting proposals for setting up these institutes, MU received 68 applications, of which 49 were approved by the management council last month. Of the

Slots

16 9 4

9

6 0

4 2

2 0

1

2 8 63

Approved

17 9 0

14

3 0

2 0 3 1 0 0 0 49

colleges approved by the varsity's management council in the last month, 34 are traditional arts-science-commerce colleges, including 14 night and three women colleges. Nine are law colleges, two fine arts, three pharmacy and one management institute.

These approved applications have been submitted to the state government, which will issue letters of intent (LOIS) to the organisations which proposed the new colleges. The organisations will then receive the final approval after they fulfil the infrastructure and faculty norms.