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Centre may scrap UGC, proposes new regulator
News:
- The Centre places draft Bill for a Higher Education Commission of India in public domain for suggestions.
Important facts:
- The draft Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Act, 2018 placed in the public domain.
- Purpose of introducing draft bill are given below:
- Major reforms in higher education.
- Aimed at replacing the University Grant Commission (UGC) for eliciting suggestions from educationists.
- Once UGC is replaced, the technical education regulator AICTE and the teacher’s education regulator NCTE will also be reformed on similar lines.
- Key components of draft Bill are given below:
- Separates the academic and funding aspects of higher education.
- It takes away funding powers from the proposed regulator and gives it powers to ensure academic quality and even close down bogus institutions.
- However, there is no plan to merge all higher education regulators, as was proposed through a planned agency called HEERA.
- HECI will be in charge of ensuring academic quality in universities and colleges.
- The Ministry of Human Resource Development will be responsible for funding universities and colleges.
- The Regulator will have powers to enforce compliance to the academic quality standards.
- The regulators are also authorized to have the power to order closure of sub-standard and bogus institutions.
- Non-compliance could result in fines or even a jail sentence.
- Presently UGC had no such powers. It can only release a list of bogus institutions and not recognise their degrees.
- Functions of HECI:
- Improving academic standards with specific focus on learning outcomes.
- Evaluation of academic performance by institutions.
- Mentoring of institutions, training of teachers, promote use of educational technology, etc.
- It will develop norms for setting standards for opening and closure of institutions.
- Provide for greater flexibility and autonomy to institutions.
- Lay standards for appointments to critical leadership positions at the institutional level irrespective of university started under any law (including state list)