Maha among 15 states selected for MERITE project

Mumbai: Maharashtra is among the 15 states selected for the Multidisciplinary Education and Research Improvement in Technical Education (MERITE) project, said higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil on Friday

Mumbai: Maharashtra is among the 15 states selected for the Multidisciplinary Education and Research Improvement in Technical Education (MERITE) project, said higher and technical education minister Chandrakant Patil on Friday.

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Based on the recommendations of the National Education Policy 2020, the project is being implemented by the central government with financial aid from the World Bank.

Under the project, approximately 150 to 175 degree and 100 diploma institutes from across the country will be selected by the Centre and the state based on the criteria of the project that includes quality of education and infrastructure of the institution, faculty position and institute development proposal.

The total cost of the project is at ₹4,200 crore for a duration of five years. Each selected degree institute will receive ₹10 crore, autonomous education institute will get ₹15 crore, technical university will receive ₹18 crore and ₹5 crore will be given to every diploma institute.

From modernising laboratories, classrooms and other educational facilities in institutions, the financial aid will also be used for digitisation, training in new technologies, promotion of research, establishing new and strengthening existing centres of excellence, promotion of innovation and patents, administrative reforms in institutions, establishment of internal quality assurance cell, training of teachers, grants to start multidisciplinary courses.

“Utilising this grant will help institutions in the state to improve their educational standards,” Patil said.

Abhya Wagh, director, technical education, said, “Maharashtra has always been ahead in technical education as well as involved previously in central programmes related with quality technical education. With this new programme, students will get more educational as well as infrastructural benefits.”