Latest news with #MaharashtraPublicUniversitiesAct
Time of India
13 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Research & teaching suffer as 60% faculty posts vacant in 5 Maharashtra universities
Pune: More than 60% teaching posts are vacant in at least five of the 11 traditional universities in the state. Research and higher education are affected because there aren't enough professors, associate professors and assistant professors as the sanctioned number of posts are based on student intake figures from over a decade ago. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now There has been a significant increase in student enrolment across these universities in recent years which makes the current sanctioned strength for teaching posts insufficient. The last major recruitment was in 2014. The additional burden of over 60% vacancy is severely impacting the quality of teaching and research output, experts said. These public institutions are called traditional universities as they have been established by state legislation under the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016. Data collated from Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), University of Mumbai, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University and Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University shows that Nagpur university has 66%, the highest vacancy, followed by Mumbai at 64.6%, Kolhapur at 61%, Pune and Marathwada universities at 60%, respectively. Top officials from these universities declined to speak on record but said that they have been suffering over the past few years due to the huge number of vacancies. One of the registrars said that these universities were once recognised for their research, but now there is a huge setback. "Affiliated colleges were more focused on teaching while universities were centres of research. But now, there is hardly any time for teachers to conduct research. This also affects the quality of teaching because a university requires senior, mid-level and junior faculty members. Currently, even completing the syllabus has become a challenge in universities," the registrar of a state university said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Another registrar pointed to the ongoing recruitment of contractual teachers which is impacting university funds. "The funds that could be used for the university's development, funding research projects, or incubation centres for students are being used to recruit faculty members on a contractual basis. Govt must recruit teachers according to the present needs of the university," the registrar added. W N Gade, former vice-chancellor of SPPU, said the lack of senior faculty vacancies is severely impacting the quality of teaching, especially in university departments where research is crucial. He said temporary appointments cannot uphold the standards required for effective teaching and research and without adequate faculty, syllabi remain incomplete, and students graduate without depth of knowledge. "It affects the overall educational standards. Indian universities are struggling as minimum standards are not being maintained. Appointments at all levels as per UGC guidelines are necessary. At Pune university, we had approvals until 2017, but after that, recruitment was halted. The last significant recruitment in the state was in 2014, with some approvals extending to 2017," Gade added. Earlier this year, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis approved 788 teaching and 2,242 non-teaching vacancies sanctioned in public universities, but professors said it is not enough. A senior professor said that his department has 42 sanctioned posts, but only 18 have been filled of which 16 are professors and two are associate professors. He said they cannot form an internal committee in the department because the UGC has specified the members of the committee which include an assistant professor. He added that options for elective subjects that students can choose should be available but most subjects become compulsory because there are no teachers for instruction.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
‘Access denied': Mumbai University can't see its digital infra as five staffers ‘protect' passwords; cyber audit hits a wall
MUMBAI: Five employees from Mumbai University's Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) have been holding on to the access of the university's digital infrastructure, including the IT systems, email systems, software, and servers, among other things, for a while. As a public entity, control of the university's entire infrastructure - physical or digital - is, by law, with the registrar. The university has written to these employees multiple times to seek handover of the access, but to no avail. A university representative said the employees, who had moved the industrial court against the university over unfair labour practices, have been claiming they have access to the digital infrastructure as network and system administrators of the university and have been carrying out their work as per norms and have withheld the passwords due to the confidentiality involved. The Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016, mentions that the university's registrar is 'the custodian of records, the common seal and any such other property of the university as the management council may commit to his charge'. Moreover, the act also bestows on the university's management council the right 'to control and arrange for administration of assets and properties of university'. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai "There were reports of cyber attacks that were reported by a govt agency, following which the university had to carry out a probe. But as the administration did not have any access credentials, they could not carry out any audit or even implement preventive measures for cyber security," said a university source, adding the employees also have control over office-suite products used by the university. The employees, however, claimed that they have access controls by virtue of being the system and network administrators and that they are working in the varsity's best interest, said the source. They also said they filed a complaint with BKC police station after the university informed them about the cyber attacks and have extended help when required, the source added. The industrial court, in the matter filed by the four employees seeking permanency in employment along with all consequential benefits and arrears of salary, had ruled in an interim order on Nov 25, 2022 that prima facie the university 'had engaged in unfair labour practice'. The court also directed the university to not terminate services of the complainants without following due process of law till final disposal of complaint and also restrained it from appointing new employees through a private agency or directly in place of the complainants, apart from restraining it from changing existing service conditions of the complainants. While a senior university official said 'whenever necessary, the university takes and will take necessary action', messages and calls made to four of the employees went unanswered. One employee refused to disclose information but told TOI they are doing work as per the court's directive.
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
‘Access denied': Univ can't see its digital infra as five staffers ‘protect' passwords
MUMBAI: Five employees from Mumbai University's Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) have been holding on to the access of the university's digital infrastructure, including the IT systems, email systems, software, and servers, among other things, for a while. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As a public entity, control of the university's entire infrastructure physical or digital is, by law, with the registrar. The university has written to these employees multiple times to seek handover of the access, but to no avail. A university representative said the employees, who had moved the industrial court against the university over unfair labour practices, have been claiming they have access to the digital infrastructure as network and system administrators of the university and have been carrying out their work as per norms and have withheld the passwords due to the confidentiality involved. The Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016, mentions that the university's registrar is 'the custodian of records, the common seal and any such other property of the university as the management council may commit to his charge'. Moreover, the act also bestows on the university's management council the right 'to control and arrange for administration of assets and properties of the university'. 'There were reports of cyber attacks that were reported by a govt agency, following which the university had to carry out a probe. But as the administration did not have any access credentials, they could not carry out any audit or even implement preventive measures for cyber security,' said a university source, adding the employees also have control over officesuite products used by the university. The employees, however, claimed that they have access controls by virtue of being the system and network administrators and that they are working in the varsity's best interest, said the source. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They also said they filed a complaint with BKC police station after the university informed them about the cyber attacks and have extended help when required, the source added. The industrial court, in the matter filed by the four employees seeking permanency in employment along with all consequential benefits and arrears of salary, had ruled in an interim order on Nov 25, 2022 that prima facie the university 'had engaged in unfair labour practice'. The court also directed the university to not terminate services of the complainants without following due process of law till final disposal of complaint and also restrained it from appointing new employees through a private agency or directly in place of the complainants, apart from restraining it from changing existing service conditions of the complainants. While a senior university official said 'whenever necessary, the university takes and will take necessary action', messages and calls made to four of the employees went unanswered. One employee refused to disclose information but told TOI they are doing work as per the court's directive.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Admission process begins for academic session 2025 26 at NU autonomous PG depts
Nagpur: The admission process for the academic session 2025–26 at the autonomous postgraduate departments of Nagpur University has officially begun. The information booklet was released on Wednesday by acting pro-vice chancellor Subhash Kondawar. The booklet offers comprehensive details about various courses offered under the Faculties of Science and Technology, Commerce and Management, Humanities, and Interdisciplinary Studies. It includes information on admission capacity, course duration, medium of instruction, contact numbers, and other essentials across all 38 departments. It also outlines key aspects such as reservation policies, general admission guidelines, hostel facilities, course-wise fees, research student fees, examination charges, scholarships, student development funds, and services offered by the university's health centre. The document further lists student rights and disciplinary norms, as per Provision 127 of the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016. In addition, the booklet provides sample admission forms, formats of required certificates, and department contact numbers for applicant reference. Registrar Dr Raju Hiwase has urged aspiring students to visit their respective departments and regularly check the university website for admission-related updates.
Time of India
03-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Governor finally names search panel to select NU VC
Nagpur: After over 10 months, Maharashtra governor CP Radhakrishnan has set up the search panel for the appointment of Nagpur University (NU) vice chancellor. The announcement comes as the NU VC's post has been operating under additional charge for more than a year. The NU Management Council had already named IIT Jodhpur director professor Avinash Agarwal as its nominee to the panel in September last year. The governor's office hasn't disclosed the name of the search panel chairman, though NU sources said a retired professor from a South Indian university is likely to lead the committee. The principal secretary of higher education, or a principal secretary nominated by the govt, will be the third member on the panel. The advertisement for the VC post will now follow, calling for applications from desirable candidates. Once the advertisement is published, it will take at least two months to name the new NU VC as the application period, scrutiny, shortlisting, and interviews will take time. Finally, the panel will recommend five names to the governor, who is the chancellor of public universities. However, the uncertainty over the continuation of deans still persists. Earlier, the chancellor allowed the continuation of the deans beyond April 30, the final cut-off in case of the death of a VC. This was extended till June 15. Now, it remains to be seen whether the deans will get another extension or the posts are allowed to fall vacant in anticipation of the new VC's appointment. The governor's decision follows a series of administrative changes at NU. In March this year, governor Radhakrishnan relieved Gondwana University vice chancellor Prashant Bokare of the additional charge of NU, handing over the responsibility to additional divisional commissioner Madhavi Khode Chavre. This move raised questions about the sudden removal of Bokare, who served eight months in the role. Bokare had first held the NU VC position from March 11 to April 11 last year after the suspension of then-VC Subhash Chaudhari. He was reinstated in July 2024 following Chaudhari's second suspension, and continued after Chaudhari's demise in September 2024. Under the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, the additional charge of a VC can be held for up to one year. For the first time since 2014, a bureaucrat was assigned the VC role at NU, after then divisional commissioner Anup Kumar held the position following the termination of VC Vilas Sapkal.
