As per a circular, apart from being present at all meetings, these members also have to ensure the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is effectively implemented in all these colleges. (Representational Image)Maharashtra government’s higher and technical education department has constituted a state-level Task Force to take review of the implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 across universities and colleges in the state.The purpose is to suggest solutions to difficulties in its implementation, and make necessary recommendations to the government in order to accelerate NEP 2020 implementation in the state’s higher education institutions.Higher and technical education minister of Maharashtra Chandrakant Patil said that the state has already begun implementation of the NEP 2020 reforms, including four-year undergraduate degree programmes, the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC), the Major-Minor subject system, internships, the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) courses, and even skill-based education. “The newly formed task force will provide uniform academic and administrative guidance to educational institutions,” he said, further adding that the department aims to make higher education in Maharashtra more student-centric, research-oriented and skill-driven.As per the Government Resolution (GR) issued in this regard, former Vice Chancellor of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) Prof. Dr. Nitin Karmalkar has been appointed chairman of the task force which will be a nine-member committee composed of VCs of few prominent state universities, educationists and experts from the higher education sector and relevant government officers.The task force will frame guidelines on several key issues, including four-year undergraduate degree structure, internships, credit transfers, multiple entry-exit options, migration between universities and implementation of uniform academic calendar.It will also recommend policies related to PhD admissions, student support systems, and teacher training programmes. The committee is expected to submit a progress report within three months.