I will focus on implementing NEP, says Mumbai University Pro-VC Dr Ajay Bhamare

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari recently appointed Dr Ajay Bhamare as incharge ProVC of the University of Mumbai The appointment comes after the ViceChancellor VC of Shivaji University Kolhapur Dr Digambar Tukaram Shirke was appointed as interim VC of the Mumbai University Even as the search for a new fulltime VC has just begun Bhamare took charge as ProVC on MondayBhamare was the principal of Ramanand Arya DAV College in Bhandup He has served in several important positions at Mumbai University He was also chairman of the Board of Studies dean of its faculty of Commerce and Management and a member of the Senate Management Council and Academic Council of the university He was also designated assessor of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council NAAC and a member of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan RUSA MaharashtraIn his capacity as Chairman of the Board of Studies Bhamare was known to have initiated an ambitious programme to revise and upgrade the commerce and business management syllabi of the Mumbai Universitymdashwhich has over 800 affiliated collegesmdashto align them with the changing needs of business and industryIn an interview Dr Bhamare talked about the challenges he faces and the immediate tasks before himWhat is your priority as the new ProVC of the Mumbai UniversityIt is to utilise my decades of experience in higher education to contribute to the upgradation of this sacrosanct institute along with other stakeholders The focus will be on implementing the National Education Policy NEP Moreover in the postCOVID era the academic calendar and teachinglearning and evaluation of the university are getting restored to normalityWhat are the challengesI am looking forward to the completion of all pending issues Of course there are many challenges before me such as holding elections of all bodies and authorities ie the senate management and academic council board of studies etc There is also implementation of Academic Bank of Credit ABC The focus will also be on revision and upgradation of the curriculum as per NEP under the guidance of the VC We are also exploring tieups with many US universities We are promoting the newly established Sindhudurg sub campus through support from the government of Maharashtra for tourismrelated coursesMumbai University today has the highest number of affiliated colleges and former VC Dr Rajan Welukar had proposed appointing multiple ProViceChancellors Is there a need for decentralisation of the university for its smooth functioningInstead of commenting on the old proposal I would like to highlight that there is no provision for appointing four proVCs under the Maharashtra Public Universities Act 2016 Further this issue does not fall under the purview of the university only the state government can take a decision on such things Also as per Maharashtra University Act 2016 sub campuses serve the purpose of decentralisation of academic and administrative work Thane Ratnagiri and now Sindhudurg sub campuses are working to support the decentralisation mechanismDo you think this university ranking process is important And what areas would you want the varsity to improve with respect to rankingsMumbai University has shown good progress compared to the previous few years We have improved in the National Assessment and Accreditation Council and the National Institutional Ranking Framework However there is still more scope for improvement with respect to rankings especially in research consultancy and perception etc We are striving for research progress in terms of research and development projects consultancy and peer perception Through support of the Rajiv Gandhi Science and Technology Commission the government of Maharashtra we are exploring R amp D Projects to tap resources of the Konkan region for preservations and value additionsDo you think the various associations and unions working within the university today have been hampering its workI wonrsquot say hampering It is the responsibility of all stakeholders to contribute towards the improvement and upgradation of the university from time to time