K.J. Somaiya to be city's first self-financed Private University

K.J. Somaiya is all set to be the first private University in Mumbai. The joint sponsors will be K.J. Somaiya Trust and Somaiya Trust and provision has been made for setting up of different faculties for interdisciplinary teaching, skill development and research. The nod has been given to allow development of new academic programmes that find new ways to improve quality of higher education, foster social change and social reconstruction through creativity, innovative enterprise and entrepreneurship, said a Cabinet statement.

The Principal of Somaiya Vidyavihar College Dr. Shubha Pandit said that becoming a private university will allow them to start programmes that are otherwise not available in most universities in Maharashtra. Efforts to achieve the status of a self-financed and deemed university have been on for almost 10 years. Dr. D Y Patil college in Ambi-Talegaon, Pune district, also got a push for the status of a self-financed university. It is expected to receive the approval for the 2019-2020 session.

Professor Bal Apte Centre for Studies in Students and Youth Movements, is a first-of-its-kind centre in the country, which will be set up at Mumbai University. The decision got approval from the state Cabinet on Wednesday. The centre will start functioning from the 2019-2020 academic year. Funds of ₹25 crore have been allocated by the state government for the creation of necessary posts and ₹58.78 lakh would be given for recurring expenditure. In order to decide matters regarding the functioning of the centre, a committee would be formed under the chairmanship of Education Minister Vinod Tawde.