India’s higher education system is poised for a major overhaul with the approval of a bill to establish a single regulatory body. The Union Cabinet has cleared the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill, which will subsume the functions of the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
Streamlining Higher Education Regulation
The proposed legislation, previously known as the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, aims to streamline the sector by bringing all non-medical and non-law higher education under one umbrella regulator. The bill’s approval on Friday fulfills a key vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Under the new system, the Commission will be responsible for regulation, accreditation, and setting professional standards across higher education. Medical and law colleges will remain outside the scope of this new regulatory framework.
Currently, India’s higher education landscape is divided among several agencies:
- UGC regulates non-technical higher education
- AICTE oversees technical education
- NCTE manages teacher education
The NEP-2020 identified the existing regulatory system as needing a “complete overhaul,” advocating for distinct and empowered bodies with specific roles.
Efforts to consolidate regulation began with the draft HECI Bill in 2018, gaining renewed momentum after Dharmendra Pradhan assumed the role of Education Minister in 2021. Funding for higher education will, for now, remain with the administrative ministry’s Department of Higher Education, unless a separate Higher Education Funding Authority is created in the future.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Commission is now a step closer to reshaping the future of Indian higher education. (With PTI inputs)
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