Shreya Bhandary
Shreya Bhandary is a Special Correspondent covering higher education for Hindustan Times, Mumbai. Her work revolves around finding loopholes in the current education system and highlighting the good and the bad in higher education institutes in and around Mumbai.
Articles by Shreya Bhandary

Mumbai college to start cert course in hip-hop
By Shreya Bhandary, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 01, 2021 03:07 PM IST
Vile Parle’s Usha Pravin Gandhi College (UPG College) will be starting the first batch of this dance course in March this year.

Mumbai university may miss NAAC grade yet again
By Shreya Bhandary, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 01, 2021 01:24 PM IST
It has been almost six weeks since MU submitted its self-study report (SSR) to the NAAC committee, but there has been no response from the officials.

Maharashtra: Admissions delayed, 1st-year law classes to begin in March
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON MAR 01, 2021 12:11 AM IST
Classes for first-year batches of professional courses have begun but the seat allotment process for law aspirants is yet to be finished. With the state common entrance test (CET) cell still in the process of allotting seats, classes for first-year batch in law colleges will commence only in March this year.

Mumbai university may miss NAAC grade yet again in upcoming academic year
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 26, 2021 11:46 PM IST
This March will mark four years since the University of Mumbai’s (MU) National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) grade lapsed

Mumbai college to start certificate course in hip-hop from March
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 11:19 PM IST
Almost 14 months after the course was approved by the University of Mumbai (MU), a suburban college is all set to start the first batch in Introduction to Hip-Hop Studies

Hold summer exams only in online mode: Students to Mumbai University VC
By Shreya Bhandary, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 25, 2021 01:43 PM IST
In a letter addressed to MU VC Suhas Pednekar, students of colleges affiliated to the university have their raised concerns about offline exams.

First session of JEE Mains exam moderately difficult: Students
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 24, 2021 11:45 PM IST
The first of the four cycles of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains was conducted across the country, on Wednesday

Hold upcoming summer exams in online mode only, student groups request MU VC
PUBLISHED ON FEB 23, 2021 06:30 PM IST
- Many of our fellow students are still in their respective hometowns and it will be difficult for them to travel back to Mumbai for physical exams," said Mandar Shirke, a student representative from Sindhudurg district.

Mumbai University schedules 1st-yr PG exams
By Shreya Bhandary, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 22, 2021 03:51 PM IST
The university is now asking all colleges to complete their first-semester exams on or before March 10.

Teaching quality, lack of job behind rise in vacant private engineering seats: Experts
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 21, 2021 12:43 AM IST
Nearly 45% seats in first-year UG courses vacant in Maha; ban on new institutes did little to tackle problem, say experts

University of Mumbai schedules PG exams 6 weeks after course begins
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 21, 2021 12:17 AM IST
Barely six weeks since colleges affiliated to the University of Mumbai (MU) started first-year classes for masters courses, the university is now asking all colleges to complete their first-semester exams on or before March 10. Colleges said the varsity flouting the 90-day working period before conducting exams.

Mumbai colleges, alumni help students pay their fees
By Shreya Bhandary, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 18, 2021 02:20 PM IST
While fee payment in instalments and part-waiver of fees were introduced in some institutes, some colleges sought help from their alumni to raise funds for students.

20% students needed help for mental health issue but never sought help
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
UPDATED ON FEB 18, 2021 10:04 AM IST
These figures were part of the Senior Survey released by the institute’s in-house magazine, Insight, this week.

Mumbai: Amid Covid-19 pandemic colleges, alumni help students pay their fees
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 17, 2021 12:36 AM IST
The Covid-19 pandemic and eventual lockdown has affected the financial situation of people across sectors

Affiliated colleges in districts other than Mumbai can reopen, says MU
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
UPDATED ON FEB 16, 2021 01:34 PM IST
Two days after the University of Mumbai (MU) released a circular directing affiliated colleges in the city to postpone reopening until February 22, officials released another circular late on Sunday, stating all affiliated colleges — barring those in Mumbai city and suburbs — can reopen starting February 16

Mumbai University colleges will stay online till Feb 22
By Shreya Bhandary, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 15, 2021 04:32 PM IST
University officials said a circular will be released with confirmation from civic authorities to inform colleges about the reopening protocols.

MU colleges in Mumbai will stay online till February 22
PUBLISHED ON FEB 13, 2021 11:44 PM IST
Two days before colleges were scheduled to reopen, the University of Mumbai (MU) on Saturday released a circular informing its affiliated colleges to continue online classes till February 22

Mumbai’s Chinese varsity medical students await lifting of curbs
By Shreya Bhandary and Priyanka Sahoo, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 13, 2021 12:16 AM IST
China’s visa curbs on; students hassled as they won’t get degree sans internship; apps not recognised, some miss classes too.

Mumbai Colleges await final word from local bodies before reopening
By Shreya Bhandary, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 12, 2021 02:15 PM IST
Staff and students will be brought to colleges in a phased manner.

Maharashtra: UG medical, dental final-year exams to start from March 8
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 12, 2021 12:06 AM IST
HT Correspondent
The Maharashtra University for Health Sciences (MUHS) on Thursday postponed final-year undergraduate medical and dental winter exams until March

Maharashtra: Dip in demand for engineering; no takers for 55K college seats
By Shreya Bhandary, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 11, 2021 02:38 PM IST
45% seats in first-year BTech courses vacant; vacancy in MTech courses stands at 55.2%: CET cell data.

Mumbai colleges await final word from local bodies before reopening
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 10, 2021 11:49 PM IST
According to the reopening guidelines shared by the University of Mumbai (MU) on February 5, colleges should get permission from the local collectors office and as yet, no such intimation has been received by any college.

Peak-hour train travel should be allowed for Mumbai colleges to reopen
By Shreya Bhandary, Hindustan Times, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 10, 2021 04:31 PM IST
Students say they are midway into term, would like to carry on online; profs point to travel, work pressure

Maharashtra: Dip in demand for engineering; no takers for 55,000 college seats
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 09, 2021 11:45 PM IST
Demand for engineering seats is low according to the state common entrance test (CET) cell, whose data reveals nearly 45% seats in first-year, undergraduate engineering (BTech) courses remained vacant across the state this year

MBBS admissions extended by a week to fill up vacant seats in deemed institutes
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 09, 2021 01:11 PM IST
- 37 seats are currently lying vacant across five deemed institutes under non-resident Indian (NRI) and management quotas. This includes 17 vacant seats under the NRI quota at Navi Mumbai’s DY Patil Medical College.

MBBS admissions extended by a week to fill up vacant seats in deemed institutes
PUBLISHED ON FEB 09, 2021 09:58 AM IST
- Admissions to undergraduate medical courses across the country have been extended by another week following a Supreme Court order dated February 5.

Mumbai: Continue online classes or allow peak-hour train travel, say teachers and students
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 09, 2021 12:33 AM IST
Days after the University of Mumbai (MU) released a circular with various guidelines for affiliated colleges to follow once colleges reopen from February 15, teachers and students have said resuming on-campus lectures is not feasible if they are not allowed to travel by train during peak hours.

Call research, final-year students for physical class; online class for rest: Mumbai univ
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 07, 2021 11:34 PM IST
Days after the state minister for higher and technical education Uday Samant announced that state universities and colleges can reopen starting February 15 with not more than 50% attendance on campus at any given time, the University of Mumbai (MU), on Friday, released a circular along with guidelines to be followed

IIT-Bombay starts bringing back students affected by internet troubles
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
PUBLISHED ON FEB 06, 2021 11:59 PM IST
The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) recently called around 200 of its students from across the country to return to the campus, especially those facing internet or broadband trouble. Students from affected areas in Haryana and Delhi have been asked to travel back to their campuses.

BMS student from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai bags ₹30L annual package
By Shreya Bhandary, Mumbai
UPDATED ON FEB 07, 2021 09:17 AM IST
City colleges affiliated with the University of Mumbai (MU) have attracted a mix bag of jobs in the on-going placement season. While in some colleges the annual packages have not matched last year’s numbers, several colleges did much better than the previous year.