M’wada takes giant strides in higher education in 75- yrs

By Mehboob Inamdar

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Marathwada which has a rich literary and cultural heritage took giant strides in higher education with hundreds of senior colleges and five universities during the last 75 years.

It may be noted that the region which got libration from Nizam rule on September 17, 1948, has only one intermediate college, Government College of Arts and Science, run by the Osmania University at that time. Students had to go to Hyderabad or other places for higher education.

A total of two non-government colleges were started in the region, the first was Millind College at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar while another was People’s College-Nanded (1950).

Five more colleges, including the Government College of Education, Government Medical College and Hospital and M P Law College, came into existence between 1954 and 1956.

There were only nine senior colleges for 53 lakh people in the eight districts before 1958 while it lacked facilities for postgraduate courses. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (BAMU), formerly known as Marathwada University, was established on August 23, 1958. Later, Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University came into existence in 1994 and has 131 affiliated colleges currently. The region also has sub-centres of State and National level open universities.

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Talking to this newspaper, Pro-vice chancellor Dr Shyam Shirsath said that it was difficult for a humble background student to pursue education in Hyderabad. “After the region’s merger in the old State of Bombay, So, there was a demand from the people of the region to have an independent University in the region. The educational and other associations raised the demand for a separate University for the region’s educational, cultural and general development.

He said BAMU was established in 1958, to provide higher and technical education facilities for students not just from Marathwada, but also from adjoining districts. Bamu has 475 colleges with 2.50 lakh students while the affiliated colleges have courses in Arts, Science, Social Science, Education, Physical Education, Law, Fine Art, Pharmacy and Engineering faculties in the four districts-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed and Dharashiv. “This university has contributed to the progress of the region and adjoining districts in many ways. Whatever development in higher education took place in Marathwada in more than six decades, it is because of Bamu,” he added.

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College played pivotal role

Dr Rohini Kulkarni, Principal of the Government College of Arts and Science, which complete 100 years next week said that the college played a vital role not just in the educational but also in the social and economic developments of Marathwada. She said thousands of students from different parts of the region arrived here and became officers, doctors, engineers, professors and scientists until today.

“The college which is a landmark in the region’s history, provides education to all classes of students, though, we have limited intake for each course. A group of students sang ‘Vande Mataram in the hostels of the colleges for the liberation movement. They were suspended from the colleges for it. The State Government constructed ‘Vande Matram Hall’ in their honour,” she added.

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5 varsities

--Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University

--Swami Ramanand Teert University-Nanded

--Maharashtra National Law University

--Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth-Parbhani

--MGM Private University