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State may halt admissions to pharmacy colleges flouting norms
The directive was announced by Chandrakant Patil, minister of Higher and Technical Education on July 29, following a high-level meeting to review the compliance status of pharmacy colleges recognised between 2022 and 2025.
Pune: The Higher and Technical Education department has issued a stern warning to pharmacy colleges, that have failed to adhere to norms prescribed by the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), stating that the Centralised Admission Process (CAP) for B.Pharm and D.Pharm courses may be halted for non-compliant institutions.
The directive was announced by Chandrakant Patil, minister of Higher and Technical Education on July 29, following a high-level meeting to review the compliance status of pharmacy colleges recognised between 2022 and 2025. Convened in Mumbai, the meeting saw participation from top officials, including additional chief secretary B. Venugopal Reddy and director of Technical Education Vinod Mohitkar.
Surprise inspections revealed that 128 diploma (D. Pharm) colleges and 22 degree (B. Pharm) colleges failed to meet basic infrastructure and safety requirements mandated by the PCI. Among the alarming findings were missing fire safety certifications, inadequate laboratory facilities, absence of occupancy certificates, and shortage of staff below the required standards.
A significant number of these institutions came under the scanner for allegedly submitting forged or incomplete documents, such as manipulated building maps and fake occupancy certificates, to secure approvals.
The identified colleges will receive show-cause notices within the next seven days, both on the DTE website and the respective institute websites. They will be granted a 30-day period to rectify the deficiencies, failing which, the DTE will recommend cancellation of their university affiliations and request the PCI to revoke its approval.
In the wake of these irregularities, the Higher and Technical Education Department has launched a large-scale compliance verification drive. Colleges have now been given a one month ultimatum to furnish detailed information regarding their academic, physical, and infrastructural facilities. These include data on qualified teaching and non-teaching staff, laboratories, classrooms, library, hostel facilities, and other key educational infrastructure.
“Institutions that fail to comply with PCI standards and do not submit the required information within the stipulated period will face strict consequences. Their CAP admission process for the academic year may be stopped,” warned Minister Chandrakant Patil.
To ensure transparency and authenticity, joint directors from the department have been tasked with conducting on-site inspections of all the concerned institutions. These inspections will follow the ‘Standard Inspection Format’ laid out by the Pharmacy Council of India.
The move comes after growing concerns about the deteriorating quality of pharmaceutical education in the state. Several complaints were received last month about newly-opened pharmacy colleges functioning with inadequate facilities and staff, which prompted the government to take corrective action.
“The state is committed to supporting institutions that provide high-quality education. But those that flout norms and mislead regulatory bodies will not be allowed to operate,” the minister said.
