Maharashtra launches ‘NariDrishti’ initiative in state to develop women academic leaders

Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Dada Patil highlighted the growing role of women in national development. File Pic

Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Dada Patil on Monday inaugurated NariDrishti: Nurturing Visionary Women Leaders for Transformation in Academia, a five-day residential programme aimed at strengthening leadership and capacity-building among women faculty members in higher education institutions across the state.

The programme has been organised by the Maharashtra State Faculty Development Academy (MSFDA), Pune, and seeks to encourage women educators to take on larger roles in academic administration, research and policy-making.

Addressing the inaugural session online, Patil said women faculty members should not restrict themselves to teaching alone and must actively participate in research, institutional governance, academic policy formulation and leadership roles.

He said initiatives such as NariDrishti would help build confidence among women educators and contribute to meaningful reforms in the higher education sector.

Patil also highlighted the growing role of women in national development, stating that women have demonstrated leadership across fields such as education, science, administration, industry and defence.

Focus on leadership and institutional governance

The five-day residential programme brings together women faculty members from universities and colleges across Maharashtra.

Participants will receive expert guidance on various aspects of academic leadership, institutional governance, research orientation, confidence building and leadership development in higher education.

Officials said the programme aims to create a strong network of women academic leaders capable of driving innovation and transformation within educational institutions.

Faculty development programmes also launched

Alongside NariDrishti, three faculty development programmes were also inaugurated:

- Teaching with smart technology

- Project-based learning

- CO-PO integration and micro planning for outcome-based accreditation

Speaking at the event, Director of Higher Education Dr Shailendra Deolankar said the launch of four major programmes on the same day marked an important milestone for MSFDA.

He noted that while NariDrishti would strengthen women's leadership capabilities, the faculty development programmes would enhance skills in technology-enabled teaching, experiential learning and outcome-based education, supporting the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

Senior academicians participate

The event was attended by several senior education officials and academic leaders, including Additional Chief Secretary B. Venugopal Reddy, CET Commissioner Dilip Sardesai, Director of Technical Education Dr Vinod Mohitkar, and vice-chancellors from leading universities across Maharashtra.

Experts and educationists discussed the importance of creating more opportunities for women in leadership positions within higher education institutions.