Governor, CM urge vice chancellors to improve state universities

The Governor said that improving national and global rankings requires steady work and accountability. “Only making plans is not enough; universities must ensure consistent implementation,” he told the VCs

Mumbai: In an attempt to improve the state’s higher education system, governor and chancellor of all state universities Acharya Devvrat said that all universities must have a task force that submits a progress report to the Raj Bhavan every fifteen days. At a meeting held at Raj Bhavan on the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) and Vision Maharashtra 2047, Devvrat told vice-chancellors that universities must show continuous progress, not just plan on paper.

Mumbai, India. Nov 17, 2025 - Shivraj Singh Chauhan, the Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, and Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, inaugurated the Asian Seed Congress 2025 at the Jio World Convention Centre in BKC, Mumbai, India. Nov - 17, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Raju Shinde)

The Governor said that improving national and global rankings requires steady work and accountability. “Only making plans is not enough; universities must ensure consistent implementation,” he told the VCs.

Higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil also asked universities to prepare for ‘Viksit Maharashtra 2047’ by improving the quality of teaching and administration. He said that within the next 15 days, universities must finish setting up their integrated digital dashboard created to track academic quality, recruitment, and performance.

According to the higher and technical education department, this new effort to improve university rankings will be based on six components, of which a major part is academic development. All universities must set up a technology school that will run courses in modern technological fields to ensure students are ready for future jobs. Other points of focus include teacher recruitment, digital systems, research output, student support, and improving the link between industry and academia.

Patil said each university will now get a dedicated team of at least two people to guide them. This team will visit campuses, verify university data, and ensure the digital dashboard reflects accurate information. He added that every three months, the state will hold a review meeting to check the university’s progress. “Regular assessment will help us achieve better results,” he said. Patil also asked universities to organise cultural and academic activities to mark 150 years of the song Vande Mataram.

Additional chief secretary V Venugopal Reddy stressed that the digital dashboard must be error-free. He reminded universities to update the information put up online and clear all pending issues by November 30. The dashboard, he said, will become the centre of transparency in higher education tracking everything from academic quality to recruitment and university performance.

Sources from the education department said that discussions were also held on updating teacher eligibility criteria. Teacher recruitment has been stalled for nearly 18 months after the previous governor changed the eligibility criteria selection process for teachers. With a new formula expected soon, universities hope that appointments will finally move forward on time.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis asked the vice chancellors to examine the academic quality of the state’s public universities and also how their national and international rankings can be improved. He too reiterated the importance of digital dashboards to monitor the progress of universities.

Speaking at a review meeting on Monday to implement the NEP and ‘Viksit Maharashtra 2047’ (Developed Maharashtra 2047) held at Varsha, the official residence of the chief minister, Fadnavis said, “It is necessary to examine the current state of academic quality, research, infrastructure, and university rankings in higher education.”

Fadnavis raised concerns that for the past three years the state public universities failed to make it to the top 10 of the education ministry’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).

“Just as new ideas and courses are emerging in private universities, public universities must focus more on quality,” he said. Fadnavis assured that the state would cooperate in whatever way possible to improve the quality of public universities and create the online dashboard.

He further instructed universities to strive to increase employment opportunities by collaborating with companies to offer internships and apprenticeships. He added that skill-based courses would allow students to be not only academically qualified but also skilled to compete in a competitive global job market.