Maharashtra: Girls may have to wait longer for free education

The promise of free higher education for female students made earlier this year remains unfulfilled as the academic year begins say educationists and Opposition leaders Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil cited the election model code of conduct as the cause for the delay and stated that the government would soon issue an order for free education for girls in the stateHigher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil File picIn February Patil promised that the state government would cover 100 per cent of fees for girls in various professional courses starting from June 1 However as midJune approaches the government resolution GR has not been issued nor has the policy been implemented Patilrsquos announcement has led to confusionThe delay in formalising the policy has led to much confusion Representation picldquoThe minister announced on February 9 that those girls whose parents earn less than R8 lakh annually would receive free education in medical engineering law and 662 other courses However this promise remains unfulfilled as midJune has passed No GR has been issued and the policy has not been implemented even though college admissions have already begunrdquo said a teacher from a degree college in the western suburbsState Education Minister Chandrakant Patil File picThe delay in formalising the policy has prompted widespread questions about when the government will implement the promised free education ldquoWhen we inquired from the college about our fees being waived from June and the minister himself had announced this the college administration informed us that no such official notification had been received This has led to conflicts between students and college authorities at many higher education institutesrdquo said a law aspirantSenior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar shared a post on X where he said ldquoState Education Minister Chandrakant Patil announced that girls would receive free education in the state from June 1 But now half of June has passed and the GR has not been issued Implementation is still far awayrdquoMinister clarifiesReacting to this chaos on Sunday Minister Chandrakant Patil clarified that the state government will soon issue an order for free education for girls in the state Speaking at a lsquobhoomi pujanrsquo event organised by the Maharashtrian Brahmin Sabha he emphasised the governmentrsquos commitment to prioritising girlsrsquo education Patil said ldquoThe interim announcement for free education was for families with an annual income of less than R8 lakh However due to the code of conduct for the Lok Sabha election the order was delayed but will be implemented soonrdquo