Maharashtra: Government to make voter registration mandatory for students seeking admission in colleges

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government will make it mandatory for students above 18 years of age to register themselves as voters for admission in colleges. This information was given by a minister of the state.

At a meeting of vice-chancellors of non-agriculture universities at the Raj Bhavan here on Thursday, state Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil said the government will compulsorily introduce four-year degree courses from June 2023 under the National Education Policy (NEP) and universities has to implement the decision.

“Universities have no option as they will have to implement the mandatory four-year degree course from June under NEP”, he said, warning that action will be taken against those who fail to do so. Patil said the government would soon constitute a committee of retired vice-chancellors to address the concerns of vice-chancellors on the implementation of NEP.

Noting the dismal percentage of voter registration by students of universities and colleges, he said, “The government will issue a resolution to make it mandatory for students to register themselves as voters to get admission in colleges.”

Patil said that against the target of achieving enrollment of 50 lakh students in the higher education system, only 32 lakh students have been enrolled in Maharashtra. The minister asked the universities to run a campaign to improve the enrollment percentage. He also said that there is a need to take note of the recommendations of the NEP regarding imparting education in the mother tongue and skill development.