Nagpur: The appointments of Vice-Chancellors and Pro Vice-Chancellors in Maharashtra should be based not only on academic credentials but also on their understanding of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and multidisciplinary training, BJP MLA Pravin Datke said while participating in a discussion on education policy in the state assembly on Thursday.Speaking during a debate on resolution on primary, secondary and higher education, Datke said the recommendation forms part of a report prepared by ABVP after conducting a survey and consultations on implementation of the NEP. The report has been submitted to the governor and the higher and technical education minister.Datke urged the govt to adopt several measures to strengthen implementation of the NEP. He called for a uniform academic calendar across all universities in Maharashtra and sought clear guidelines for implementing the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), Credit Transfer, Credit Equivalence and the National Credit Framework (NCrF). He also demanded a state-wide policy to standardise faculty workload, filling of vacant teaching and non-teaching posts, and better alignment of credit systems among regulatory bodies such as the UGC, AICTE and universities. He advocated greater participation of industry experts in curriculum design.Raising concerns over access to competitive exams, Datke said Nagpur houses one of Maharashtra’s six examination centres and demanded an additional centre in Vidarbha to benefit students from rural areas.He suggested NU’s student insurance scheme, which provides education insurance cover of up to 3 lakh for an annual premium of 40 in event of a parent’s death, should be extended to all universities in the state.
