Mumbai : Alarmed by the slow and steady deterioration of higher education, the higher and technical education department, led by senior NCP leader Rajesh Tope, on Aug 26 set up a nine-member committee headed by Ram Takwale, a former vice-chancellor of Pune university and Indira Gandhi National Open University to make recommendations on improving the standard of education.

Significantly, the committee's priority will be to examine a proposal to bifurcate the universities of Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur or to create a separate board for conducting undergraduate examinations and leave the higher education and research work to the universities.

It was found that at a juncture when the standard of higher and technical education was witnessing exponential growth, nearer home in Maharashtra, it showed a reverse trend due to a larger number of colleges affiliated to the universities of Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. "The entire aspect was discussed at length during the meetings of the joint board of vice-chancellors presided over by the government. Then it was decided to form a high-level committee to prepare a new policy for better higher and technical education,'' a senior official told reporters.

The National Knowledge Corporation (NKC) had recommended that for 150 colleges, there should be one university for better administration, while 630 colleges are affiliated to the Mumbai University, 759 to Nagpur University and 587 to the Pune University. As a result, instead of concentrating on research, the entire university administration is busy in conducting examination, their results and non-academic issues of the affiliated colleges. "In the entire process, the university administration has absolutely no time to draft new courses or initiate measures for upgrading the standard of education,'' he said.

If the recommendation of the NKC is accepted, then, besides the existing 13, there will be eight additional universities and by 2015, the state government will have to grant permission for 18 new universities. Under such circumstances, the official said, there were two options before the government, either to split the existing universities as per the recommendations of the NKC or set up an autonomous board, which will conduct undergraduate examinations and entrust the task of higher education and research to the universities.

The official said the committee will have to make recommendations on the measures to be taken for making the universities more accountable, steps taken by neighbouring states and universities abroad for upgrading skills, good governance practices and if there was need for more colleges across the state. "The committee has been given full freedom. It can interact with leading experts and visit any college or university across the country. Financial assistance to the committee will be provided by the Mumbai university,'' he said.