Maha plans to set up knowledge panel

Mumbai: Maharashtra has drawn up plans to set up a state knowledge commission, a thinktank that will recommend the way forward for higher education. While the commission is yet to be appointed, its scope is likely to be vast—to cover all aspects of higher education—on the lines of the National Knowledge Commission (NKC).
According to government officials, there are several areas in higher education that require a ‘re-look’ and many others that call for a revival. “The commission will study the recommendations of the NKC and look at what we can implement locally. Experts on the panel will also look at areas we need to focus on,’’ said J S Saharia, principal secretary (Higher Education). The NKC had drafted broad recommendations for institutes across the country and several states later set up their own regional bodies to work towards achieving excellence at the local level.
The Goa government was the first to emulate the national model of knowledge commission in 2006. Later, Gujarat, Karnataka, and several other states handpicked top academicians to plan the commission which designed a master plan for the growth of higher education. In most states, the commission is chaired by the chief minister.
Academicians say the state’s move to set up a commission has come a little too late. “Look at the number of nursing or BEd colleges we have in our state. A new engineering institute is launched every morning. There has to be a mega plan that will determine where the state will be five years from now,’’ said a faculty member from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. A chair professor from the University of Mumbai concurred, “Our libraries and laboratories also need attention. There are so many colleges that are coming up, but where is the qualified faculty?’’