College clustering: New panel to focus on Aurangabad, Nagpur and Amravati

As the Maharashtra government is pushing toward clustering of colleges, encouraged by the National Education Policy (NEP), a new committee has been formed to undertake focused planning for Aurangabad, Nagpur and Amravati regions. The Higher and Technical Education department of Maharashtra issued a Government Resolution (GR) about this on Monday. The committee of five members has been formed under the chairmanship of Dr Vijay Joshi, senior advisor for the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), Mumbai.

With an objective to offer multi-disciplinary higher education, this practice of cluster colleges is encouraged so that colleges from the same vicinity offering single as well as multiple streams will be able to function in collaboration to provide flexible academic choices to students. The clustering is expected to enable students to pursue a combination of courses of their choice as they get to choose from a list of courses offered at the parent as well as partner institutes. The committee is focused on the three regions as the government already has proposals from local educational institutions.

According to the GR, the committee will be responsible for examining various proposals received by the government seeking formation of clusters of colleges in the three regions, and prepare a road-map and guidelines for the same. It will also recommend necessary changes to the existing courses along with formation of new courses and process of academic exchange among different participating institutions.

Apart from guiding the interested institutions on their road toward clustering of colleges, the panel will also play the role of mediator for the clusters between them and the affiliated university as well as the government.