Savitribai Phule Pune University.
A PROPOSAL, to be presented during the senate meeting of the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) on March 15, has sought a hike in course fees at affiliated colleges. A proposal in this regard, submitted for discussion by senate member professor Sanjay Chakne, citing difficulties in carrying out administrative and other functions in colleges due to rising inflation, has made a case for the fees hike.
The undergraduate and postgraduate course fees at affiliated colleges have not seen a hike in eight years, states the proposal. Other members of the senate have also submitted similar questions for discussion. Shyamkant Deshmukh, for example, has sought a discussion on increase in fees in unaided colleges and courses since 2012, and the fate of the committee that was appointed a few years ago to examine this issue. He has also wanted to know whether the university was considering a revision of fees in affiliated colleges.
Fee hike is among several proposals to be discussed in the first full-fledged meeting of the senate, since elections, on March 15. Problems faced by the exam department during paper correction is another subject up for discussion at the meeting. Senate member Prasenjit Fadnavis has sought an explanation from the university authorities for the delay in declaring results.
Officials have attributed the delay to “inadequate number of examiners” for the centralised paper correction. Another senate member has proposed strict action against teachers who regularly showed non-compliance towards paper correction, thereby resulting in delay in declaration of exam results. Other exam department-related proposals include: reconsidering the organisation and security of examinations conducted for first-year bachelors courses, semester-wise interaction between examination department officials of the university and colleges.
Senate member Santosh Dhore has proposed making Marathi language paper compulsory for both English and Marathi-medium students, to ensure conservation and propagation of Marathi language. Other proposals include
allowing colleges that offered bachelor’s degree in vocation (B Voc) to offer master’s degrees too; improving hostel facilities and forming a review committee for same; allotting funds to organise seminars and conferences at national and international levels for better industry-academia interactions, improving tie-ups with Pimpri-Chinchwad civic industry associations and setting up a sub-campus in the area for better industry-academic interactions.