Fadnavis bats for digital dashboard to monitor public universities' performance

Mumbai, Nov 17 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday called for developing a digital dashboard to monitor the performance of all public universities and asked institutions to improve their academic quality and rankings.

Addressing a review meeting on the implementation of the National Education Policy and the "Viksit Maharashtra 2047" roadmap, the chief minister stated that universities should assess their current academic standards, research output, infrastructure, and rankings, and prepare a time-bound action plan to improve their performance.

He assured the full support of the state government for the digital monitoring system, according to an official release.

Fadnavis asked public universities to build stronger partnerships with industry to expand employment opportunities for students through internships, apprenticeships, and skill-based programmes aligned with emerging market needs.

"Private universities are progressing rapidly. Public universities must focus more on quality to remain competitive," he said.

During the meeting, a presentation was made on the development goals for public universities under "Viksit Maharashtra 2047," strategies to improve NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework) rankings, and the strengthening of academic infrastructure.

The meeting also discussed improving the NIRF standings of public universities, positioning Maharashtra as a global education destination, promoting high-TRL research and commercially viable patents, enhancing the quality of teaching in affiliated colleges, aligning curricula with future skill demands, and expanding international collaborations.

Fadnavis said strengthening academic excellence and creating a highly skilled workforce will be central to Maharashtra's development vision for 2047.

Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, senior officials, vice-chancellors, and pro-VCs of state universities attended the meeting. PTI MR NSK