The Maharashtra State Board of Technical Education (MSBTE) has issued a showcause notice to pharmaceutical colleges in the state to explain the poor performance of students in the academic year 2011-12.
According to statistics of the exams held in the earlier part of the year, nearly 60 per cent of the colleges have received a poor remark on the academic portal of the MSBTE due to high failure rate of the students.
In a bid to keep track of the performance of colleges offering
pharmaceutical courses, the MSBTE had started the academic monitoring portal wherein colleges had to fill in details of academic and overall development of students on a regular basis.
According to a MSBTE official, the portal was regularly monitored and assessment was done of both the students and colleges, based on the data fed in by the colleges. The same was also verified through spot checks and inspections by the MSBTE officials at regular intervals.
“Colleges that have got a poor remark, have been issued a showcause notice and will have to provide a reply within 15 days of receiving the notice. The initiative is aimed at not only improving the quality of education, but also increasing the answerability of colleges,” Dr P.M. Dhoke, director MSBTE said.
Out of the 127 government and privately-run pharmacy colleges in thestate in which around 32,000 students are enrolled, the results of the academic year 2011-12 have been abysmal.
This MSBTE officials said that this could be an indication of poor teaching or lack of proper facilities that need to be verified.
“Colleges that have been notified through their MSBTE email account, will have to depose before a committee appointed for the same and in case their reasons are not satisfactory, they will face stringent action,” said Dr Dhoke. He, however, refused to elaborate on the mode of punishment to the colleges.