Sweeter deal prompts Maharashtra private universities to turn skill centres

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has received over eight proposals for self-financed skills universities, with two already operational this academic year. A skills university offers degree courses that are skill-based and job-oriented, as skills education is a focus of the central government’s New Education Policy 2020.
However, educationists have raised concerns about the policy for self-financed skills universities, pointing out the absence of an apex body and a lack of regulation of fees charged by these institutions. Moreover, a notable disparity exists between the establishment requirements for private universities and self-financed skills universities in the state.
During the last budget session, the state government passed a Holding Act for skills universities. According to the Act and the 2021 guidelines, applicants for a skills university must possess a land parcel ranging from 10 to 25 acres in rural areas or cities, or have constructed at least 10,000 square meters on land owned by the sponsoring body or leased for 30 years. In contrast, establishing a private university requires land from 10 to 30 acres and construction of at least 15,000 sq m, necessitating a higher investment.
The lower cost and lack of regulation by an apex body makes the transition to skills universities very attractive, and many engineering colleges and private universities are considering converting according to a retired officer from the higher education department. “As the central government is promoting skills education under various schemes, educational institutions are planning to shift from traditional to skills-based education for various reasons,” he said, adding that Maharashtra was the only state that allowed private skills universities. “This will significantly impact the current higher and technical education system,” he pointed out.
In 2021, entrepreneur and film producer Ronnie Screwvala and Indu Shahani, former principal of HR College and sheriff of Mumbai, established the state’s first skills university, ATLAS SkillTech University, which operates in Kurla and offers various new age skill-based courses. Recently, G H Raisoni Skill Tech University in Pune and Nagpur also commenced operations as a self-financed skills university. Another six to eight proposals, including Symbiosis Skills University, are awaiting approval from the skills education department.
An officer expressed concern about the potential proliferation of these universities across the state. “The state government needs to decide what type of universities it wants to promote,” he said. “Currently, the higher and technical education department allows private and cluster universities, the school education department has proposed an international sports university in Andheri, and now the skills development department is promoting skills universities. This reflects confusion among policymakers, impacting the overall higher and technical education system.”
Arun Sawant, former pro-vice chancellor of the University of Mumbai, also voiced concern. “According to the New Education Policy, the government is focusing more on autonomy and an integrated education system, including internships,” he said. “There is no difference between the current higher and technical universities and the skills universities. So why do we need these?”
Suggesting that these universities might have been introduced with questionable motives, Sawant added, “A university operating without an apex body or a fee regulation act will impact the quality of education.” Regarding the availability of internships and foreign tie-ups, the former pro VC said, “The University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) have specific guidelines for foreign tie-ups. It is uncertain whether these skills universities will adhere to these guidelines.”
Another education expert emphasised the need for the government to appoint a committee to evaluate whether the state requires such universities and how to align all universities under consistent parameters to maintain quality and affordability in education.
Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, chairman, UGC, said that the creation of a separate apex body for skill universities was not required. “It would introduce unnecessary bureaucratic complexities,” he said. “India currently has a robust framework of regulatory bodies, including the UGC, AICTE, NCVET, and ministries dedicated to education, skill development and entrepreneurship. These entities collectively oversee and monitor higher educational institutions, including the skills universities. Therefore, it is essential to optimise existing mechanisms and resources to ensure quality standards are upheld, rather than creating new structures.”
Knowledge application key role of skills university
Many colleges, particularly those with well-funded managements, are transitioning from traditional colleges to private or cluster universities. However, since last year, following a push for skills-based education over traditional education, many institutions are opting to become skills universities.
Prof M U Kharat, vice-chancellor of G H Raisoni International Skill Tech University in Pune, said, “This will be a new age education system focused on providing skilled manpower to the industry. For this, universities like ours are establishing industry partnerships.” Questioned about the absence of an apex body, Prof Kharat said, “We currently offer courses under UGC, so our degrees bear traditional names but include additional skills.” The skills university offers the traditional BTech in Computer Science & Engineering degree with Cyber Security specialisation as the skills component), BTech in Computer Science & Engineering with Blockchain Technologies and BBA with International Business.
Rajan Velukar, vice-chancellor of ATLAS Skill Tech University, said that while traditional education focused more on theory than application, a skills university emphasised the application aspect. “This will help balance the education ecosystem,” he said. The university offers courses such as a four-year BTech degree in computer science, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and a four-year BSc (Hons) degree in finance and analytics.
Velukar also highlighted the importance of the autonomy granted by university status, stating, “This autonomy allows us to design courses with up-to-date knowledge in the domain, preparing students to be industry-ready. The current education system does not allow real-time syllabus changes. This gap will be filled by skills universities.”