Cabinet Clears Bill to Replace UGC, AICTE with One Body

• Cabinet clears bill to create a single higher education regulator.
• UGC, AICTE, and NCTE to be replaced under NEP 2020.
• Medical and legal education excluded; funding stays with the Ministry.

The Union Cabinet sanctioned the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill, the intended law aimed at creating a unified regulatory body for higher education.

The Bill, previously known as the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, intends to simplify regulatory operations by substituting current organizations such as the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

The action is in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which advocates for a total overhaul of the regulatory framework to rejuvenate the higher education landscape. Currently, the UGC supervises non-technical tertiary education, whereas the AICTE manages technical programs and the NCTE oversees teacher training. The newly formed Commission is anticipated to unify these roles, placing regulation, accreditation, and professional standards under one governing body. Medical and legal education, however, will stay beyond its scope.

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NEP proposed four unique roles for governing higher education - regulation, accreditation, funding, and standard setting - yet the funding aspect is absent from the present proposal. For the time being, financial autonomy will still reside with the administrative Ministry.

The concept of a consolidated regulator has experienced multiple revisions. A draft Bill from 2018 aimed at repealing the UGC Act to create HECI was shared publicly for feedback, but it did not move forward. After Dharmendra Pradhan took over as Union Education Minister in 2021, renewed efforts commenced, rekindling discussions on the structural reforms needed for NEP 2020 implementation.

The NEP document emphasizes the critical need to update regulatory frameworks, pointing out that “the regulatory system requires a complete overhaul in order to re-energise the higher education sector and enable it to thrive.” It underscores that dividing powers among different entities is crucial for maintaining transparency, accountability, and academic achievement.