21-07-2025
Bill being drafted for unified higher education regulator: Education ministry
The Ministry of Education (MoE) is in the process of drafting legislation to establish the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), which is proposed as a unified regulatory body for the country's higher education development was confirmed by Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on July HECI, as envisioned by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, will serve as an umbrella authority with four distinct verticals to independently handle regulation, accreditation, funding, and academic UNDER NEP 2020
In his reply, Majumdar stated, "The National Education Policy 2020 envisions a 'light but tight' regulatory framework to ensure integrity, transparency, and resource efficiency of the educational system through audit and public disclosure, while encouraging innovation and out-of-the-box ideas through autonomy, good governance and empowerment."He further added that in alignment with this vision, the ministry is actively drafting a bill to set up the Higher Education Commission of creation of HECI would lead to the phasing out of existing regulators, namely the University Grants Commission (UGC), which oversees general higher education, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), responsible for technical education, and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), which governs teacher ATTEMPTS TO FORM HECIThe idea of a unified regulator is not new. The first draft of the HECI Bill was introduced in 2018, when the government published it for public feedback and stakeholder consultation. However, the proposal did not move forward at the time.A renewed push for the HECI was seen after Dharmendra Pradhan took over as the Union Education Minister in July then, the need for a consolidated regulatory system has been highlighted as essential for overhauling India's fragmented higher education A UNIFIED BODY MATTERSThe NEP 2020 underscores that the current regulatory landscape is in need of a 'complete overhaul' to energise and streamline the higher education sector.A single authority like the HECI is seen as critical to removing duplication of roles and ensuring better coordination across disciplines, including arts, science, technology, and teacher consolidating functions currently managed by three separate bodies, the proposed commission aims to reduce bureaucracy, simplify decision-making, and ensure more efficient allocation of details, including the final draft of the HECI Bill, are expected to be released by the Ministry of Education once the internal drafting process is complete.- EndsMust Watch
