Quality educational infrastructure at the technical institutions is an essential parameter for producing competent technocrats. This enables the building up of technological capabilities of the nation, which drive the socioeconomic development at the state and national level. The government funding was mainly responsible for providing infrastructure at educational institutions. However, economic reforms initiated in the early 1990s opened up avenues for private players to play a key role in the establishment of educational institutions on self-financing basis. Since 2004, the World Bank-assisted Technical Education Quality Improvement Program (TEQIP) has been playing a major role in developing educational infrastructure in select engineering institutions in Maharashtra state. This is proving to be a timely input in regard to General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) regime.

Over the past decade and a half, there has been a phenomenal quantitative growth in technical education, reasons for which are manifold. Prior to the 1980s, the entire technical education activity was carried out by institutions managed and maintained by the government and others, who received substantial grant-in-aid from the governments, both central and the state. However, there were some notable exceptions in a few states, such as Karnataka. Later in the 1980s entry of more private sector entrepreneurs in the system promoted self-financing institutions and contributed to the expansion of the system. This was indeed a welcome development, as the governments could not find adequate funds for expansion of higher education, as their priorities focused towards primary education and the cost of higher education was on the increase all the time (Gupchup, 2006).

The quality infrastructure facilitates economic development of a state or a nation. On similar lines, educational infrastructure is essential for building up technological capabilities of the nation, which drives socioeconomic development at the sate and national level. Public funding was the main source for the development of educational infrastructure till early 1980s. However, private sector participated in a major way thereafter and played a key role in developing educational infrastructure in Maharashtra state.

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