Maharashtra Universities Vice-Chancellors demand resumption of offline classes

Maharashtra: Vice-Chancellors (VCs) of public universities across the state, on Friday, unanimously demanded permission from the Governor of Maharashtra to start classroom teaching in colleges and universities immediately. In a video conference meeting, they said that if given permission, they are willing to start colleges as early as February 1, 2021.

The statement said the demand was made in a meeting Governor Koshyari held with Vice-Chancellors of 20 Maharashtra universities and state higher and technical education secretary Om Prakash Gupta via video conferencing on Friday. The meeting was convened by the Governor to discuss the universities’ new academic calendar for 2020-21, status of statutory audit of universities, vacancies and status of recruitment of statutory posts in universities etc, said the statement.

“Vice chancellors of public universities across the state today unanimously demanded permission to start classroom teaching in colleges and universities immediately,” it said.

As per the statement, Koshyari said, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is coming under control, universities should explore the possibility of opening classes in shifts.

The governor has asked the Department of Higher and Technical Education to grant permission to universities to fill up all vacant statutory positions in universities, such as registrar, deans of faculty, and director as early as possible. The governor said, “Absence of officials on these crucial statutory positions is affecting the administrative functioning of universities”. Currently, around 50 percent of teaching posts in colleges are lying vacant.

In addition, the governor stated that decisions on opening hostels for students should be taken at the earliest.