University nod for KJ Somaiya autonomy move

The University of Mumbai’s academic council on Wednesday evening approved the autonomy proposal for KJ Somaiya group of colleges.

The University of Mumbai’s academic council on Wednesday evening approved the autonomy proposal for KJ Somaiya group of colleges.

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The proposal will now move to the management council, which will meet on May 30.

“We passed the proposal on Wednesday. We are encouraging autonomy and hope to make at least 10 colleges autonomous,” said Rajpal Hande, director, Board of College and University Development.

There are 37 institutes on the 65-acre Somaiya campus at Vidyavihar. But it has applied for autonomy for four of its institutes — KJ Somaiya College of Engineering, KJ Somaiya Arts and Science College, KJ Somaiya Arts, Science and Commerce College and KJ Somaiya Science and Commerce College.

So far, St Xavier’s College and Sardar Patel College of Engineering have gained autonomy from the University of Mumbai.

After the management council approval, the University Grants Commission, the apex governing body of universities, will appoint a scrutiny committee and then grant autonomy.

The colleges had applied for autonomy last year.

As per the earlier norm, a college had to apply to the university that moved it to the state, which then sent it to the UGC. The process was slow. St Xavier’s took four years to get autonomy.

Last year the UGC allowed universities to directly forward proposals to UGC to fast track the process. A university committee scrutinised the proposal before it reached the academic council.