Pune: Despite a poor job ratio and an adequate number of pharmacy colleges in the country, All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has approved 52 new pharmacy colleges to be opened in Maharashtra. Besides that, nearly 393 pharmacy institutes have been approved across the nation for academic year 2018-19. At present, there are 437 pharmacy colleges in Maharashtra.
A source who has pursued education in pharmacy stated that although there are many takers of pharmacy, there are no jobs available in Maharashtra. “Jobs in pharmacy are available in large scale in Daman, Diu and Goa, where many companies have set up their manufacturing units. Maharashtra does not offer much scope in it,” said a source on the condition of anonymity.
"Most of the times, students pursue a diploma course in pharmacy, as it is required to procure a licence to start a medical store. Only some students prefer a degree course and work in research centres. Therefore, even if the number of colleges is increased, where are the jobs available in the state?” he said.
“Moreover, it is important to inspect these new institutes whether they have permission from animal welfare board of India to experiment on guinea pigs. Also, if they have a good infrastructure as already many colleges in Maharashtra lack clinical practicals,” added the source.
On the contrary, principals of pharmacy colleges say that job availability in the state has improved. They asserted that Daman, Diu and Goa have been the hub of pharmacy production, but the scenario in the state has also changed in the past few years.
The principals of pharmacy colleges have also said that there is a demand for pharmacy course among students but there is no requirement of more institutes in the state.
“We have sufficient pharmacy colleges in Maharashtra. Certainly, there is a demand for this course but we don’t need more colleges. These new establishments will affect the admissions in already existing colleges by at least 10 per cent. Mostly, the good colleges in rural and district level will get affected if new institutions come up in urban areas. Therefore, there are chances of disturbance in demand and supply ratio,” said PD Chaudhari, Principal of Modern College of Pharmacy.
Ashwini Madulkar, Principal of AISSMS College of Pharmacy, stated that by increasing pharmacy institutes in the state, the situation should not become like engineering colleges.
“There are engineering colleges in abundant, whereas admissions to these colleges have reduced over the years by 50 per cent vacancy. Many colleges were unable to sustain as well. This should not happen with pharmacy colleges. To sustain in the market, colleges may offer courses in cheaper rates which can affect the quality of education. Furthermore, new colleges should have proper infrastructure to offer such courses. AICTE should instead come out with stringent guidelines under which the newly formed institutes are strictly inspected for the quality,” said Madulkar.
The Issue
- AICTE has approved 52 new pharmacy colleges to be opened in Maharashtra.
- At present, there are 437 pharmacy colleges in Maharashtra.
- According to industry people, there are no jobs available in the State, however, there is a demand for pharmacy courses.
