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.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) is set to announce guidelines for the setting up and operation of campuses of foreign higher educational institutions in India in May. The regulations have been drafted in line with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, which aims to internationalize the Indian higher education system and make India an attractive global study destination.

The UGC Chairman, M. Jagdish Kumar, revealed that the draft guidelines received responses from several foreign universities and embassies. The UGC is currently in the final stage of consolidating the suggestions and will consult the Reserve Bank of India and take legal opinion before announcing the guidelines. Most of the suggestions came from universities based in Europe and North America, and several embassies have also contacted the UGC with their queries and suggestions.

The UGC aims to facilitate the entry of higher-ranked foreign universities into India, providing an international dimension to higher education, enabling Indian students to obtain foreign qualifications at an affordable cost, and improving the overall standard of higher education in the country. The regulatory framework will allow foreign universities that have secured a position within the top 500 of overall/subject-wise global rankings to set up campuses in India, subject to the approval of the UGC.

The UGC Chairman emphasized that the setting up of foreign universities in India would be a “win-win situation” for the country. It will help students to develop collaborative research or academic activities with foreign students, and Indian academics in foreign universities can come to India to teach in their own universities. This will improve the overall standard of higher education in the country.

The NEP stated that top universities in the world would be facilitated to operate in India, and for this, a legislative framework facilitating such entry will be put in place. Such universities will be given special dispensation regarding regulatory, governance, and content norms on par with other autonomous institutions of India. The UGC draft guidelines adhere to these recommendations, and no foreign HEIs shall set up campuses in India without the approval of the UGC.

The UGC will contact the embassies and foreign universities with the amended draft after incorporating the suggestions, and bring awareness about the scope of setting up foreign universities in India. The UGC aims to make India an attractive global study destination by facilitating the entry of higher-ranked foreign universities into the country. This will provide an international dimension to higher education, enable Indian students to obtain foreign qualifications and improve the overall standard of higher education in the country.