The Union Cabinet has approved a new bill to create one single body for higher education in India. This new body is called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan . It will take over the work of existing regulators like the University Grants Commission (UGC) , All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) , and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) . This move aims to make rules simpler for colleges and universities across the country.
This big change will not affect medical and legal education. These two areas will continue to be managed by their current regulators, the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Bar Council of India (BCI) .
For a long time, universities have found it hard to follow rules from different bodies. This often caused delays and confusion. The government wants to solve this problem by having just one main regulator. An official stated that the goal is clear: to have "one point of regulation instead of three."
What the New Regulator Will Do
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan will be in charge of many important things. It will approve new colleges, courses, and programs. It will also set standards for how good the education should be. This includes everything from what is taught to how students learn. The idea for this single body first came from the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 .
The new system will have four main parts to do its work. These parts are designed to make sure different tasks are handled by different groups, which helps avoid problems seen in the past:
- National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC) : This will be the main body that sets all the rules for higher education.
- National Accreditation Council (NAC) : This group will check the quality of colleges and universities and give them ratings (accreditation).
- General Education Council (GEC) : This council will set standards for what students should learn and achieve in their studies.
- Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC) : This part will deal with how money is given to institutions. However, final decisions about funding will still rest with the government ministry.
Experts in education believe that separating these roles is a good step. It aims to prevent one single body from making all the rules, giving approvals, and also controlling the money. This separation helps to avoid too much power in one place and makes the system fairer.
Why This Change is Important
Universities in India have often complained about facing conflicting instructions from the UGC, AICTE, and NCTE. This made simple tasks, like starting a new course or expanding student seats, very slow. Sometimes, it led to long delays for colleges to launch new research centers or add new subjects.
With the new single regulator, these processes are expected to become much simpler and faster. The government hopes this will help Indian universities grow and improve without facing too much unnecessary paperwork. The goal is to create a modern system that supports education and learning better.
What Happens Next
The government plans to present the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill in Parliament during the upcoming Winter Session . If the Members of Parliament vote to pass this bill into law, the next step will be to create detailed rules for how the new system will work.
Officials have said that the change from the old regulators (UGC, AICTE, NCTE) to the new single authority will happen in phases. Colleges and universities will be given enough time to understand and adjust to these new rules and systems. This smooth transition is important for all higher education institutions in India.
