Mumbai, Jul 7 (PTI) The Maharashtra assembly on Tuesday passed the Private Universities Bill, which aims to improve access to quality higher education, even as the Opposition raised concerns about affordability amid a demand that these universities be brought under the reservation policy in recruitment.
Replying to a debate on the bill approving three new private universities in the assembly, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil said the government intends to improve access to quality higher education and not to commercialise the sector.
He said the state had simultaneously strengthened public higher education through increased funding, research support and student welfare schemes.
Patil said the Centre’s PM-USHA scheme had provided substantial grants to universities and colleges, while the Maharashtra government had also launched initiatives to promote research and innovation.
The minister said the state spends around Rs 4,000 crore annually on fee reimbursement, benefiting more than 90 per cent of eligible students pursuing higher education.
He added that Scheduled Tribe students receive full fee reimbursement and hostel assistance, while scholarships are also provided for students pursuing higher education abroad.
Patil said the government has permitted nearly 200 new colleges every year, particularly to improve access to higher education in rural areas.
Around 650 colleges have also been brought under special categories, including minority and women’s institutions, with additional financial support from the state, he said.
Rejecting concerns that private universities would operate without accountability, Patil said the proposed institutions would function under a robust regulatory framework.
Government nominees would be part of their governing bodies, and the institutions would be subject to regular monitoring, he said.
The minister added that reservations in admissions for SC, ST, OBC, SBC and EWS categories would be applicable as per law.
He noted that private universities would also have to provide a 50 per cent fee concession to at least 10 per cent of students, and compliance would be monitored by the government.
Patil also assured the House that the government would consider the suggestions made by members during the debate and reiterated its commitment to strengthening both public and private higher education institutions while ensuring quality education and wider access.
NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad demanded that private universities be brought under the state’s reservation policy in recruitment, arguing that institutions receiving government approval must also uphold constitutional principles of social justice.
Awhad said the bill already makes provisions to ensure reservation in admissions and fee concessions for students from economically weaker sections, but does not mandate reservation in employment.
“If the government is granting approval to private universities, why can’t it make reservations in jobs a legal requirement?” he asked.
He said that the law should require private universities to implement reservation in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in line with the constitutional reservation framework applicable in the state.
The Opposition supported the Maharashtra Private Universities (Amendment) Bill but demanded a robust regulatory framework to ensure accountability, affordability and academic standards in private universities, while also urging the government to strengthen public institutions.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Varun Sardesai said the government should not merely approve private universities but also hold them accountable for academic quality, industry relevance and student outcomes.
He said reputed institutions such as BITS, Manipal and Ashoka University had earned credibility because of their strong industry linkages, high academic standards and strong placement records.
Sardesai questioned whether the proposed private universities had designed their courses in line with industry requirements and would equip students with employable skills.
He said students should not be compelled to join such institutions merely because they failed to secure admission elsewhere.
Expressing concern over the affordability of higher education, Sardesai asked what safeguards the government would put in place to ensure that children from poor and farming families could access education despite high fee structures.
While supporting the Bill, he proposed mandatory audits of every approved private university after three to five years to assess whether they had secured NAAC accreditation and fulfilled the commitments made while seeking approval. He suggested that universities should be required to maintain at least an A or A+ NAAC grade and face action, including withdrawal of recognition, if they failed to meet the prescribed standards.
Sardesai also sought periodic monitoring of placement records and faculty-to-student ratios.
Other opposition members said they were not opposed to private universities but sought effective government regulation of their fee structure, admission process, examinations and academic standards.
They also urged the state to strengthen public universities, including Mumbai University, instead of focusing primarily on private institutions.
Several MLAs expressed concern that private universities largely catered to students from affluent families, making quality higher education inaccessible to poor, OBC, SC, ST, minority and rural students.
They called for effective implementation of reservation policies in admissions and faculty recruitment and safeguards to ensure equitable access to higher education.
The Opposition also demanded stricter monitoring of faculty qualifications, compliance with NET/SET norms, and the creation of an independent grievance redressal mechanism to check arbitrary functioning by private university managements and protect employees’ service conditions.
Members further urged the government to ensure that private universities do not function merely as commercial ventures and called for new institutions to be established in backward regions such as Gadchiroli, Nandurbar and Dhule, while simultaneously addressing the shortage of teachers and deteriorating condition of government schools across the state.
The assembly passed the bill after Opposition members staged a walkout expressing unhappiness over the minister’s reply on their questions about implementing reservations in private universities. PTI MR NSK
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