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NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Friday cleared the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill, paving the way for a major overhaul of higher education regulation and giving legislative shape to a key commitment of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The proposed law seeks to establish a single overarching authority for higher education, replacing legacy regulators such as the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). Medical and legal education will remain outside its ambit, it is learnt. The Bill is likely to be placed before the Parliament in the current session.The proposed legislation, earlier referred to as the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, has now been given Viksit Bharat branding, aligning it with the government’s broader reform narrative. Officials said the new framework “is aimed at simplifying governance, reducing regulatory overlap and shifting the focus of oversight away from compliance-driven controls towards academic quality and learning outcomes across public and private institutions.Under the proposed law, higher education governance will be reorganised through a clear separation of functions. Regulation, accreditation, academic standard-setting and funding will be handled through distinct verticals, ending the long-standing concentration of multiple powers within a single body. While the new authority will frame norms, quality benchmarks and institutional oversight mechanisms, the disbursal of public funds will continue to rest with the administrative ministry. “The separation is intended to prevent conflicts of interest, reduce micromanagement and create a more transparent regulatory architecture,” said an official with the ministry of education.The idea of a unified higher education regulator predates NEP 2020. In 2018, a draft bill proposing the repeal of the UGC Act and the creation of the HECI was placed in the public domain for stakeholder consultation. That proposal, however, triggered concerns within the academic community over excessive centralisation and the possible erosion of university autonomy, and it did not move forward. The NEP 2020 revived the concept in a more calibrated form, arguing that India’s higher education regulatory structure had become fragmented, inconsistent and overly prescriptive. The policy document called for a “complete overhaul” of the system and stressed that regulation, accreditation, funding and academic standard-setting should be performed by independent and empowered bodies. Renewed efforts to translate this vision into legislation gathered pace after Dharmendra Pradhan took charge as education minister in 2021.Supporters of the new bill argue that it addresses long-standing governance distortions in the sector. Multiple regulators with overlapping jurisdictions have often resulted in contradictory rules, delayed approvals and compliance-heavy institutional behaviour. “A unified regulator could bring coherence to academic standards, ensure uniform quality benchmarks and allow universities greater freedom to innovate in curricula, pedagogy and research, while remaining accountable for outcomes,” said professor Vinay Pathak, vice chancellor, Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, formerly Kanpur University.The emphasis on accreditation and learning outcomes, rather than inspections and permissions, is seen as a structural shift aligned with global best practices. By ring-fencing funding from regulatory decision-making, the government aims to create a system where quality assurance is insulated from financial considerations, encouraging institutions to compete on academic merit rather than procedural compliance.At the same time, policy analysts note that the effectiveness of the reform will depend heavily on implementation. “The composition, independence and transparency of the new authority, and the manner in which its verticals interact with state governments and universities, will be closely watched. Issues related to institutional autonomy, federal balance and the transition from existing regulators are expected to figure prominently when the bill is taken up in Parliament.The proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill could mark a decisive shift in how higher education is governed in India, moving from a fragmented, rule-bound system to one that places governance reform and education quality at the centre. Go to Source
