Edu bill: Single regulator with 3 councils proposed

BILL ALSO SEEKS TO IMPOSE FINE OF ₹2 CRORE ON THOSE WHO SET UP UNIVERSITIES WITHOUT PROPER GOVT APPROVAL

- Saubhadra Chatterji and Sanjay Maurya

A three-council commission will serve as the single higher education regulator, tasked with enforcing outcome-based accreditation, setting academic standards, and granting graded autonomy to institutions, the bill, which the government plans to table during the winter session to overhaul the education system, proposes.

Approved by the cabinet on Friday, the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025--earlier called the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill--aims to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). It also seeks to regulate the establishment of higher educational institutes, imposing a fine of ₹2 crore on those who set up universities without proper government approval.

According to the bill, a copy of which HT has seen, the new commission will help universities and other higher educational institutions “become independent self-governing institutions and promote excellence through a robust and transparent system of accreditation and autonomy”.

The panel will formulate and suggest schemes to improve the quality of education and advise the Centre and the states on “holistic development of higher education,” the bill states, adding that it will also develop “a road map for promoting India as an education destination". The new higher education commission will consist of three wings--the Regulatory Council, Accreditation Council, and Standards Council. The 12-member commission will include the presidents of each council, the Union higher education secretary, two eminent academicians from state higher education institutions, five distinguished experts, and a member secretary, the bill proposes. All appointments will be made by the Centre through a three member search panel, the bill states.