Bill to set up higher education commission introduced in LS

The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill that seeks to set up an overarching higher education commission along with three councils was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday with the government expressing willingness to refer it to a joint committee. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Bill amid din over the issue of alleged threatening slogans raised at a Congress rally on Sunday against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The higher education commission, which will be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will cover all central universities and colleges under it, institutes of national importance functioning under the administrative purview of the Ministry of Education including IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs, and IIITs. At present, IITs and IIMs are not regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

''The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan will be an apex umbrella body to provide direction for comprehensive and holistic growth of higher education and ensure co-ordination between the Councils,'' the Bill said. ''The Standards Council shall ensure synchronisation and determination of academic standards in higher educational institutions, the Regulatory Council shall ensure co-ordination and maintenance of standards in higher educational institutions, while the Accreditation Council shall be an accrediting body to supervise and oversee an independent ecosystem of accreditation,'' it added.

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