Mumbai: The University of Mumbai has withdrawn its decision to bar admissions at 68 law and BEd colleges that failed to appoint university-approved principals and teachers.
The colleges will now be allowed to admit students to 50% of their sanctioned intake during the current academic year, subject to a penalty of Rs 10 lakh each.
The university had earlier decided not to grant affiliation to 39 law colleges and 29 BEd colleges, effectively keeping them out of the state CET Cell’s centralised admission process. The institutions subsequently sought a review of the decision.
Under the revised action, 11 law colleges and 23 BEd colleges where fewer than half the teachers have university approval will face a Rs 5 lakh penalty. Their intake will be reduced by 25%.
Colleges where more than 50% of the faculty have been approved will be fined Rs 2 lakh each, but will face no restriction on admissions.
The action follows repeated concerns over the absence of approved teachers, principals, adequate infrastructure and academic standards at several law and teacher-training colleges.
The number of law colleges in the state has grown rapidly following increased demand for legal education. A similar expansion took place in the B.Ed sector when teacher-training courses attracted large numbers of students. However, faculty recruitment and infrastructure have not kept pace with the rise in institutions.
Mumbai University had taken action against several such colleges last year as well. At the time, the state govt asked the university to give the institutions six months to address the deficiencies and permit them to participate in admissions. The university later granted affiliation after imposing a penalty of Rs 1 lakh.
As the colleges failed to comply with the requirements even this year, the university initially ordered a complete admission ban. The decision was, however, reversed within days.
A senior MU official said that the decision to relax colleges without approved principals and teachers would be permitted to fill only half their seats and would have to comply with all prescribed norms within four months
