According to a Government Resolution (GR) published by the Maharashtra higher and technical education department on Thursday, colleges in Maharashtra will begin offering four-year degree programmes in the Arts, Commerce, and Science streams beginning in the academic year 2023–24. In accordance with the recommendations of the steering group, which was established to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in the state, revised instructions for the curriculum and credit system have been updated.

However, the initial phase of the NEP implementation in Maharashtra would not include professional courses in the technology, pharmacy, law, or teaching streams.

The GR states that not all colleges would be given the opportunity for “natural growth” in the fourth year of the UG degree. The only colleges that are automatically permitted to continue the PG degree programme and conduct the fourth year of the UG Honours Degree programme are those that already have permission and recognition for the PG degree programme together with the UG degree programme in the same Major. However, colleges offering only a 3-year UG degree programme will need authorization to start an additional 4-year UG programme.

According to the GR, students will be given certification, diploma, and basic bachelor’s degrees as departure alternatives at the conclusion of the second, fourth, and sixth semesters of the four-year degree programme, respectively. If a student successfully completes all eight semesters of the UG Programmes, whether all at once or with chosen exits and reentries, they will be awarded a Bachelor’s degree with Honors/Honors with Research.

The GR was released on April 19 and 20 at Lonavala at the conclusion of a two-day meeting organised by the minister of higher and technical education, Chnadrakant Patil. The steering committee’s suggestions for the NEP’s implementation were discussed at the meeting.

A step towards bringing Maharashtra’s educational system into compliance with NEP 2020, which intends to make Indian education more diverse, adaptable, and modern, is the implementation of the four-year degree curriculum.