An issue of single education regulating body is once again in discussion by eliminating the UGC, AICTE and NCTE education body. The Parliamentary Committee has expressed serious objections on the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) bill proposed for regulation of Higher Education in India. The committee has warned that this bill can cause closure of educational institutions located in rural areas and promote privateization.
The Parliamentary Committee headed by Rajya Sabha MP Digvijay Singh has advised the government to adopt a simple and effective regulation structure instead of the unified regulator, so that the state governments can also get proper representation and do not have centralization.
Crisis on the existence of rural institutions
This new Commission proposed under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the current University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and National Teacher Education (NCE) (NCE) (NCTE) and the form of a single regulatory body Will work in However, the Parliamentary Committee says that this can have a bad effect on colleges and universities in rural areas. These institutes are already struggling with problems like insufficient infrastructure and lack of teachers. If they are closed due to not meeting the new regulatory standards, then it can disrupt the access to higher education of rural students.
Possibility to promote privatization
According to the report, HECI will have the right to allow or shut down degrees to higher education institutions. This will eliminate the control of the state governments, which can reduce the number of public institutions in rural areas. Its direct benefit will be given to private universities and colleges, which can promote privatization in the education sector.
The committee said that more than 90% of students study in state universities and they are already entangled between the rules of national and state level regulatory bodies. If HECI is implemented in the current form, this problem may be more serious.
Recommendation to give proper representation to states
The Parliamentary Committee has recommended in its report that a balanced regulatory structure should be prepared under HECI, in which the states should be given proper representation and avoid excessive centralization.
The committee says that there are many discrepancies in the existing multi-level regulatory system, which makes it difficult for institutions to work smoothly. The role of state governments has been limited in this.
Medical and law colleges will not be applicable
Single Higher Education Regulating Body’s plan has been under consideration for a long time. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had said in an interview that soon its bill will be introduced in Parliament. This bill will replace UGC, AICTE and NCTE and will act like a single regulating board. However, this will not be applicable to medical and law colleges.
Objections have risen before
Significantly, HeCI’s idea is not new. In 2018 too, a draft bill was issued for public counseling to abolish the UGC Act and implement HECI. After this, work was started in 2021 under the leadership of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
According to NEP 2020, the higher education system requires an effective regulatory structure, which can improve the quality of education. However, the Parliamentary Committee has warned that if the HECI Bill came into force without necessary changes, it will promote inequality and privatization in the education sector. Now it has to be seen whether the government accepts the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee or the HECI Bill is carried forward in the current form.