Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil said that at least 144 autonomous educational institutions in Maharashtra will start implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) from the current academic year.
Addressing a news conference here, the higher education minister said the NEP 2020 will be implemented in phases. In the first phase, 87 general and 57 professional autonomous educational institutes in the state will implement the policy in this academic year, Patil said.
University Grants Commission (UGC) has given approval to 36 educational institutes to operate as autonomous bodies, he said. These (autonomous) institutes should start the courses according to the new National Education Policy using their autonomy, Patil said.
The move will provide at least 3,500 colleges in the state a framework or model for implementation of the new policy, he said. From January 1, 2024, six months before (the start of the academic year), the implementation plan can be announced, Patil said. The minister said by September 30, all universities will have to declare a plan for the implementation of the NEP, and then finalise it by December 31.