Voter Registration To Get Mandatory For Maharashtra Students Above 18 Years Seeking Admission Into Colleges

Maharashtra to make voter registrations for students above 18 years seeking admission into colleges. The government is also gearing up for the effective implementation of NEP in the state.

The Maharashtra government is set to make voter registration mandatory for students above 18 years in the state seeking admission into colleges, news agency PTI reported. The development comes from Maharashtra State Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, who was quoted speaking at a meeting of vice chancellors of non-agriculture universities at the Raj Bhavan on Thursday, by PTI. 

The state official has also stated that following NEP’s (National Education Policy) mandate, the Maharashtra government will be introducing four-year degree courses from June 2023, and the universities across the state will have to implement the move. 

"There is no option for universities as they will have to implement the four-year degree courses from June as mandated under the NEP," he said, warning that action will be taken against those failing to do so. The government will soon constitute a committee of retired vice-chancellors to address the concerns of vice chancellors over the implementation of the NEP, Patil was quoted saying by PTI. 

Taking note of the dismal percentage of voter registration by students of universities and colleges, "The government will issue a resolution mandating students to get their voter registration done for getting admission to colleges." As against the goal of attaining the enrolment of 50 lakhs students in the higher education system, Maharashtra has enrolment of only 32 lakh students, Patil said.

The state minister also asked universities to push a campaign in order to bolster the enrolment percentage of students in the state. He also emphasized the implementation of the recommendations of the NEP (National Education Policy) to provide education and skill development in mother tongue. 

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari who was also present in the meeting, laid emphasis on making universities “aatmanirbhar” to attain the goal of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”  "Many private universities are doing well through self finance and distance education programmes," the state governor was quoted saying by PTI while calling on higher educational institutions to effectively implement the recommendations of the NEP. 

The governor further emphasized the significance of the NEP in terms of its attempt to blend culture and the Indian knowledge system. He also urged vice chancellors to form small advisory committees consisting of dedicated professionals to assist the seamless integration of the NEP in universities. He also said that he will be holding follow-up meetings with the vice chancellors within the next six months to take note of the developments in this regard, quoted PTI. 

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who was also present in the meeting, affirmed that the state would brace NEP in the best possible way. "The state government has decided to make suitable amendments in the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016 to make the selection process of vice chancellors and pro-vice chancellors in sync with the guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC)," Chief Minister Shinde was quoted saying by PTI. He also asserted the formation of new search committees for the selection of vice chancellors soon to step up the selection process of vice chancellors. 

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was also present in the meeting, expressed strong concerns on the subpar performance of universities in key areas like timely declaration of results. He called on the vice chancellors to take corrective measures to fix the lag soon. Laying thrust on the need of a robust digital system to ensure the effective implementation of the NEP, he also insisted on creating a ‘Live Dashboard’ to report the developments on the 17 earmarked result areas of the vice chancellors to closely monitor the situation, PTI reported.  

In the meeting, Fadnavis also stressed the importance of transparency by educational institutions. He said that colleges should publish the observations and findings of their inspection teams on their website. He further added that while efforts of achieving higher gross enrolment in the state has been effective, the focus of universities from bringing excellence in education should not deviate. However, he did voice concerns over the low percentage of voter registration among college students.

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