HRD ministry to scrap UGC, replace it with new Higher Education Commission

The Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry has prepared a draft Act to replace the University Grants Commission with a new regulator for higher education in the country.

The new Higher Education Commission of India would focus solely on academic matters. Monetary grants would be the purview of the ministry, according to the draft.

The Act will be called the Higher Education Commission of India Act, 2018 (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act). HRD minister Prakash Javadekar has asked all educationists, stakeholders and the general public to give comments and suggestions before 5 pm on July 7 on the draft , which has been released on the ministry’s website.

For the first time, the regulator will have powers to enforce academic quality standards. It will also have the power to order closure of sub-standard and bogus institutions. Non-compliance could result in fines or jail sentence, says the draft. Currently, UGC releases the names of bogus institutions on its website to inform the public but cannot take any action.

“The Chief Executive and other members of Management of such institution who do not comply with the penalty imposed by the Commission shall be liable for prosecution as per procedure laid down under the Criminal Procedure Code and may be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to three years”, the draft says.

The new Act is likely to be tabled in the Parliament during the monsoon session.

The government was earlier planning a single regulator for technical education, national council teachers training and UGC. However, it has been decided to strengthen the higher education regulator.

According to a senior HRD official, as the current commission remains preoccupied with disbursing funds to institutes, it is unable to concentrate on other key areas such as mentoring institutes, focusing on research to be undertaken and other quality measures required in the sector.

The commission will be tasked with specifying learning outcomes for higher education courses, prescribe standards of teaching, assessment, research or any related aspect, according to the draft.

It will evaluate the yearly academic performance of higher educational institutions, provide for mentoring of institutions that don’t maintain required academic standards and also recommend the closure of institutions that fail to adhere to minimum standards.

The commission will also develop norms for opening and closing institutions and provide for greater flexibility and autonomy. It will also create standards for appointments to critical leadership positions.

The commission will also lay down norms for performance-based incentives for faculty and also specify norms for admission and fees.

It will also encourage universities to formulate a code of good practices in administrative matters and develop a framework for implementation. Universities will implement all aspects of the code of good practices, including reward and punitive measures.