In an interview with news agency PTI, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently announced the introduction of the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) bill in the Parliament. He said that the Parliament is soon planning to table the bill that will set up a single higher education regulator in the country.
Following are the key features of the bill-
The Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) bill was proposed in the new National Education Policy (NEP) that advocated for a single higher education regulator. After its implementation, the bill will replace the other regulatory bodies from the education system in the country and become the single regulatory body.
The bill will replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). While the UGC supervises non-technical higher education, the AICTE oversees technical education and the NCTE is the regulatory body for teachers' education.
The bill, however, will not include medical and law colleges under its ambit. The regulatory authorities for these colleges will continue to function in the same way.
The bill will have three major roles which are regulation, accreditation and setting professional standards. The fourth vertical Funding will not come under the HECI bill and the autonomy for funding will stay with the administrative ministry.
After its introduction in the parliament, the bill will undergo scrutiny by the standing committee.
A draft Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Bill, 2018, which seeks to repeal the UGC Act and provides for setting up of the Higher Education Commission of India, was put in public domain in 2018 for feedback and consultation with stakeholders. After assuming power as the education minister in 2021, Dharmendra Pradhan undertook renewed efforts to implement the HECI bill.
