The state government plans to launch 'MAHASWAYAM,' a portal for higher education courses. Like the central government's SWAYAM portal, 'MAHASWAYAM' aims to provide a comprehensive platform for online courses while adapting to the changing landscape of education.

Chandrakant Patil, the state's minister of higher and technical education, convened a meeting on Jan 5 to discuss the effective implementation of the state's new National Education Policy (NEP). The director of higher education, Professor Shailendra Deolankar, stated that state universities are already offering online courses. The decision was made to launch 'MAHASWAYAM' as a state-centric portal to ensure accessibility for all students.

Under the NEP, students can now take online courses for minor subjects and earn credits towards their final grades. Deolankar emphasised that 'MAHASWAYAM' aims to provide a solution for both students and administrators, in response to concerns about academic calendars and fees on the existing SWAYAM portal.

“To implement this initiative, the state government has formed a consortium comprising Yashvantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Savitribai Phule Pune University, University of Mumbai, and Shivaji University, Kolhapur. Over the next three months, the consortium will collaboratively design the portal, focusing on courses related to Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS),” said Deolankar.