Mumbai University to be audited along with 778 affiliated colleges

For the past few days, several students faced trouble due to the online paper checking of the examinations conducted by the Mumbai University. Many of the students did not obtain their results in time and failed to secure admissions due to deadlines. In order to deal firmly with the issue and ensure such chaos does not happen again, the government has decided to audit Mumbai University along with 778 colleges affiliated to the university. A Special Task Force will be set up and will survey the college’s courses, facilities, number of teachers, and the syllabus.

Under the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, several rules have been framed for the education standards in colleges. According to the rules, proper teaching, studies and management are primarily essential. The audit is being conducted in order to keep track on the implementation of the guidelines. To monitor this, the formation of State level committee, district level committee and the Special Task Force will take place.

The government has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of the Additional Chief Secretary of the Higher and Technical Education Department, in which the Committee will consist of four other members which will be the Chief Secretaries of the Social Justice Department, Tribal Development Department and Home Department and the Assistant Secretary of the Higher Education Department.

The task force will monitor:

• If the college is providing the facilities as per the guidelines set by UGC, AICTE, Bar Council.
• If the college has qualified professors as per the standards of the course.
• If the fees collected by the colleges are being recorded at the University.
• If the colleges are given recogniSed and accredited by NAAC or NBA.

Similarly, the task force will keep an eye on the teachers and employees of the college get salary according to the rules. For this task, a district level inspection committee will be appointed under the chairmanship of the District Collector who will take action under the guidance of the task force.

A task force has been appointed under the chairmanship of Vikas Chandra Rastogi, Director of Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjeevani Project. R. S. Mali, former Vice Chancellor of North Maharashtra University at Jalgaon, Vaze Kelkar College's former Professor Dr Govind Patkar, retired Registrar of Mumbai University, Vyankatramani, Pune Higher Education Director Dhanraj Mane are the members of the task force.