Maharashtra Universities To Follow Common Academic Calendar From 2026-27 For NEP Implementation: Minister Chandrakant Patil

Maharashtra's Higher and Technical Education Minister, Chandrakant Patil, announced on Tuesday that all public universities in the state will adopt a unified academic calendar from the 2026-27 academic year to ensure the successful implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP). During an online meeting of vice-chancellors at Mantralaya, Patil directed that universities prepare an academic framework to introduce the fourth-year honours degree program starting from 2026-27 and 2027-28.

Each university was required to hold weekly interactions with at least 50 students to address their concerns and difficulties. Universities were also tasked with identifying clusters of colleges to share resources like manpower, infrastructure, labs, libraries, and more. Patil emphasized the need for a workshop for heads of examination controller departments to learn from how other states are implementing NEP.

Officials were instructed to evaluate cluster-based courses from the University of Mumbai and other institutions to develop state-specific comprehensive and high-quality cluster courses. Each university was asked to conduct at least one cluster activity per month. Patil directed the authorities to introduce a common academic calendar for all public universities within a week, as per the guidelines of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Concerns over question paper leaks were addressed by requesting the department to prepare and publish guidelines similar to those of the Central government to deter such incidents. Patil also called for a clear circular to outline the responsibilities of officers and employees involved in question paper leaks, ensuring swift action to prevent such occurrences. Property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions can be found at https://budgetproperties.in.