Government moots Act against fake educational institutes

The Maharashtra government has decided to come up with a law to check unauthorised educational institutes in the state.

The Maharashtra government has decided to come up with a law to check unauthorised educational institutes in the state.

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“Taking standards of education in such institutes into consideration and complaints of cheating, we have decided to take strict action under the proposed Unauthorised Institutes Act,” Higher and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday.

If the Act comes into force, Maharashtra would be the first state to curb fake educational institutes.

The state government has decided to have the separate Act after the Bombay High Court’s direction on a public interest litigation in 2008 to seal the premises of some fake institutes and initiate criminal action against their managements, a senior official from the department said.

In 2008, the Bombay High Court had order shutting down of 20 private colleges in the state for not having approval of the All India Council of Technical Education.

Currently, only diploma and degree courses are required to take permission from the various departments including Board of Technical Education, Environment, Examination Board and University concerned.