Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday explained the rationale behind the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, saying the legislation is aimed at simplifying higher education regulation, removing overlapping authorities, and granting institutions greater autonomy to compete globally.
Addressing a press briefing, Pradhan noted that India’s higher education ecosystem has expanded rapidly over the years, with nearly 60,000 institutions, including around 1,200 universities, 6,000–7,000 autonomous colleges, and close to 15,000 teacher education institutions. Despite this growth, the sector continues to function under multiple regulators, standard-setting bodies, and accreditation agencies, leading to inefficiencies.
“In regulation, standard-setting and accreditation, there have been too many parallel setups,” Pradhan said, adding that the fragmented framework has resulted in duplication of roles, conflicts of interest, and administrative delays.
Why The Government Wants A New Regulatory Framework
Tracing the evolution of higher education regulation, Pradhan said the University Grants Commission (UGC) was established in 1956 as a single authority overseeing regulation, standards, and accreditation through NAAC. Over time, additional bodies such as AICTE in the 1980s, NCTE in the 1990s, institutions of national importance, and statutory councils like the Council of Architecture were created.
This, he said, has led to overlapping responsibilities.
“In teacher education, NCTE prescribes standards, but institutions also run undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. This overlap leads to conflict of interest and repeated data handling,” Pradhan explained, noting that UGC and AICTE also perform similar regulatory functions in several areas.
Three Autonomous Councils Under One Apex Body
Under the proposed Bill, the government plans to consolidate major regulatory functions under a uniform framework of three autonomous councils:
- Standards Council
- Regulatory Council
- Accreditation Council
“All three councils will function independently,” Pradhan said. “For coordination, correlation, and administrative and financial oversight, there will be an apex body.”
Addressing concerns about the role of states, the minister clarified that the functioning of state universities will remain unchanged.
“Education is on the Concurrent List. Standards and coordination will be addressed without disturbing state universities,” he said.
Autonomy And Global Competitiveness At The Core
Pradhan described institutional autonomy as the central pillar of the Bill.
“To make our universities globally competitive, we need flexibility and autonomy, and this Bill enables that,” he said.
The framework also aims to encourage interdisciplinary learning in a rapidly evolving economy. “In a new-age economy, even a medical student needs to study management. Standards for such learning will be developed,” he added.
Crackdown On Fake Universities And Malpractices
The minister said the Bill includes provisions to address the mushrooming of fake universities and unchecked institutional growth. Institutions violating norms will face penal action.
“It will be light but tight. We won’t overimpose, but we won’t give any leeway. The aim is zero malpractices,” Pradhan said.
Transparent Accreditation And Student Feedback
Accreditation under the new system will be based on self-declared institutional data, supported by discreet student feedback, which the minister described as crucial for assessing quality.
“Student feedback is very important for accreditation,” he said, adding that the regulatory process will be simplified, transparent, and open to public scrutiny, with institutional data placed in the public domain.
Rankings, Skills And Higher Enrolment
Alongside existing mechanisms such as NIRF, the government plans to introduce a new ranking framework. A revamped credit architecture will support reskilling and upskilling, while encouraging research and entrepreneurship.
Pradhan said the reforms are expected to improve outreach and increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education.
Joint Parliamentary Committee To Review Bill
A 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has been constituted to examine the Bill. The panel is expected to hold consultations and submit its report by the end of February.
Calling the legislation a structural reform aligned with the National Education Policy, Pradhan said the goal is to create a simplified, transparent, and accountable higher education system capable of supporting India’s long-term development ambitions.