Union Cabinet Approves Bill to Merge UGC, AICTE and NCTE into Single Regulator

The Union Cabinet approved a bill to consolidate India’s higher education regulatory framework into a single entity, replacing the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

Under the new legislation, now named the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill (earlier proposed as the Higher Education Commission of India Bill), the single regulator will oversee non-technical and technical higher education as well as teacher education.

However, it will not have any role in funding, which will remain under the administrative ministry, nor will it supervise medical and law colleges.

The new regulatory body will focus on three core functions: regulation, accreditation, and setting professional standards. Efforts to operationalise the Higher Education Commission were initiated under Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who took charge in July 2021.

The bill aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which highlighted the need for a complete overhaul of the regulatory system to strengthen the higher education sector. The policy emphasises that regulation, accreditation, funding, and academic standard-setting should be carried out by distinct, independent, and empowered bodies.

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