Bill to merge AICTE, UGC in final stages
09/09/2019
Amandeep Shukla
amandeep.shukla@htlive.com
New Delhi : A bill that aims to merge the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to create a single regulator for higher education in the country is in the final stages of preparation and likely to come up before the cabinet next month, according to an official aware of the development.
Till now, the UGC regulated the functioning, accreditation and also fund disbursal to 40 central varsities while the AICTE played a similar role for technical institutions. Fund disbursal would not be a role for the regulator. “The India Higher Education Commission Bill to replace the UGC and the AICTE has been prepared in consultation with the states. The ministry plans to take it to the cabinet next month,” the official said requesting anonymity. He added that the bill was in its final stages but refused to share more details about the bill.
The HRD ministry’s five-year Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP) in June called for the need to set up a Higher Education Commission of India (HECI). The plan envisaged the HECI as a regulatory body. The report suggests that the HECI should focus on academic and quality matters related to ensuring learning outcomes, mentoring institutions and training teachers. It would also seek to promote education through Information and Communication Technology initiatives.
As per the report, which HRD officials term as their five-year implementation plan, the HECI will grant autonomy to best performing higher educational institutions and award them powers to confer degrees. The disbursal of funds that the UGC currently undertakes will be kept separate, the report stated. “Disbursal of the funds shall be done through an SPV [Special Purpose Vehicle]. The HECI shall provide for comprehensive and holistic growth of higher education and research in a competitive global environment,” the report said.
A bill seeking the formation of a National Research Foundation (NRF) is also expected to be placed before the Union cabinet.
“The need to create an umbrella body for the higher education sector has been felt for a long time. However, what kind of relations it has with other bodies including varsities and institutions would define its success,” said former UGC member Prof Inder Mohan Kapahy.
09/09/2019
Amandeep Shukla
amandeep.shukla@htlive.com
New Delhi : A bill that aims to merge the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to create a single regulator for higher education in the country is in the final stages of preparation and likely to come up before the cabinet next month, according to an official aware of the development.
Till now, the UGC regulated the functioning, accreditation and also fund disbursal to 40 central varsities while the AICTE played a similar role for technical institutions. Fund disbursal would not be a role for the regulator. “The India Higher Education Commission Bill to replace the UGC and the AICTE has been prepared in consultation with the states. The ministry plans to take it to the cabinet next month,” the official said requesting anonymity. He added that the bill was in its final stages but refused to share more details about the bill.
The HRD ministry’s five-year Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP) in June called for the need to set up a Higher Education Commission of India (HECI). The plan envisaged the HECI as a regulatory body. The report suggests that the HECI should focus on academic and quality matters related to ensuring learning outcomes, mentoring institutions and training teachers. It would also seek to promote education through Information and Communication Technology initiatives.
As per the report, which HRD officials term as their five-year implementation plan, the HECI will grant autonomy to best performing higher educational institutions and award them powers to confer degrees. The disbursal of funds that the UGC currently undertakes will be kept separate, the report stated. “Disbursal of the funds shall be done through an SPV [Special Purpose Vehicle]. The HECI shall provide for comprehensive and holistic growth of higher education and research in a competitive global environment,” the report said.
A bill seeking the formation of a National Research Foundation (NRF) is also expected to be placed before the Union cabinet.
“The need to create an umbrella body for the higher education sector has been felt for a long time. However, what kind of relations it has with other bodies including varsities and institutions would define its success,” said former UGC member Prof Inder Mohan Kapahy.
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