Maharashtra cites poor standards, proposes no new pharmacy colleges for 5 years
Maharashtra's higher and technical education department has raised concerns over poor standards of pharmacy colleges and urged the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) to suspend approvals for any new such institutes in the state for the next five years, people aware of the matter said. The move comes amid rising vacancies in pharmacy courses and a dip in education quality. Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil met with Union health minister J P Nadda over the matter. (X)
Officials said that the PCI had approved many pharmacy colleges, particularly in low-demand regions, without proper inspection of infrastructure, academic readiness, or demand from local students. They noted that PCI granted permissions without consultation with the state's technical education department, leading to a surplus of institutions with poor facilities and faculty shortages.
The state government last year formed a committee of industry experts and academics to review the status of the pharmacy colleges, considering the vacant seats. Officials said the panel found many colleges functioned without adequate laboratories, equipment, libraries, or classroom space. In some institutions, admissions remained far below capacity year after year, while others were unable to meet even basic educational standards.
The state's request to PCI came months after Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil met with Union health minister J P Nadda in New Delhi and submitted a 2025–2031 roadmap highlighting how the quality of education had been compromised due to unchecked expansion and lack of oversight.
An official said the delegation recommended that PCI impose a blanket restriction on new B Pharm and D Pharm colleges in the state for at least five years and refrain from granting any increase in intake capacity to the existing ones. 'Nadda is said to have responded positively to this suggestion, raising expectations that central action may soon follow.'
The official said the department decided to inspect all colleges set up in the last three years to understand the quality of infrastructure and education.
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