Fees, Faculty, Facilities: Key Information Must Be Public Before Admissions in Maharashtra

Higher education institutions in Maharashtra, including private and deemed universities, must now publicly disclose information about their fees, faculty, facilities, and other relevant details on their websites at least 60 days before the start of admissions. This mandate, issued by the state government on Thursday, aligns with the University Grants Commission (Students Grievance Redressal) Rules 2023, implemented in April of the previous year. The aim is to promote transparency in the education sector, as part of the 'light but tight' regulatory framework envisioned under the National Education Policy 2020.

Institutions are required to provide comprehensive information such as course listings, syllabus outlines, approved seat quotas for academic programs, admission procedures, and breakdowns of fee structures and other charges. They must also disclose details about teaching staff, including qualifications for both regular and guest faculty, as well as information about physical and academic infrastructure, including hostel facilities. These directives follow recent scrutiny by the UGC, which called out universities across the country, including 17 in Maharashtra, for failing to appoint ombudspersons to address student complaints.

While most public universities in the state were flagged for non-compliance, the University of Mumbai (MU) and Savitribai Phule Pune University were notable exceptions. Gopal Kalkoti, a former principal, expressed confidence in the transparency initiative, anticipating that colleges would be compelled to provide accurate and reliable data to the public, thus preventing the dissemination of false or misleading information.