Bill to check donations, regulate fees

To keep a check on the menace of donations and to regulate admissions in colleges, the Maharashtra state government has introduced the 'Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Education Institutions (Regulation of Admission Fees) Act, 2015,' in the assembly.

Higher and Technical Education Minister Vinod Tawde introduced the bill and proposed two authorities: one to regulate admissions and conduct a common entrance test through centralized admission process, another to regulate fees in unaided private professional institutions. The two authorities, to be called the 'Admission Regulating Authority (ARA)' and 'Fee Regulating Authority (FRA)' respectively, will be headed by retired high court chief justices and comprise different sets of members.

So far the Common Entrance Test (CET) and admissions were conducted by the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) and Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER). Once the bill is cleared by the assembly, the ARA will establish a CET cell and monitor its function. It will be headed by an officer of the rank of joint secretary, who will be designated as 'commissioner of CET'. Similarly, fees currently regulated by Shikshan Shulk Samiti will be fixed by the FRA for unaided colleges on the basis of various factors like infrastructure and facilities offered. It will have to complete the formalities within four months of receiving the proposal from a college.