New Delhi: Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar informed the Lok Sabha on Monday that the Ministry of Education is in the process of drafting a legislation to set up the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), a proposed unified regulatory body for higher education.
"The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisions a 'light but tight' regulatory framework to ensure integrity, transparency, and resource efficiency in the education system through audit and public disclosure, while promoting innovation, autonomy, and good governance," said Sukanta Majumdar.
As outlined in the NEP, the proposed HECI will function as an umbrella body with separate verticals dedicated to regulation, accreditation, funding, and setting academic standards. It is intended to replace existing regulatory bodies such as the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
Majumdar further added, "The NEP proposes the creation of the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) as a comprehensive body with independent verticals for regulation, accreditation, funding, and academic standard-setting. In line with this vision, the Ministry is currently drafting the HECI bill."
At present, the UGC is responsible for regulating non-technical higher education, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE governs teacher education. The concept of bringing these functions under a single regulator was first introduced in a 2018 draft bill that sought to repeal the UGC Act and was later released for public consultation.
Efforts to establish the HECI picked up pace after Dharmendra Pradhan took charge as Union Education Minister in July 2021.
The idea of forming a unified higher education regulator was first introduced in a draft bill in 2018. The Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Bill, which aimed to repeal the UGC Act and create the HECI, was made public that year for feedback and consultation with stakeholders.
Reinforcing the need for such reform, the NEP 2020 states, "the regulatory system is in need of a complete overhaul in order to re-energise the higher education sector and enable it to thrive."
The NEP thereby stresses the need for a complete overhaul of the current regulatory structure to modernise India's higher education system and align it with global standards.
