[Answered] Analyze the significance of trust-based governance between the state and higher education institutions. Evaluate how far the current regulatory reforms, like the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, can effectively align higher education with the requirements of leadership and work.

Introduction

With over 4.3 crore students and 1,100+ universities, India hosts the world’s largest higher education system; yet AISHE 2023 flags employability and governance deficits, making trust-based regulatory reform imperative.

Trust-Based Governance in Higher Education: Conceptual Significance

1. Trust as an Institutional Enabler: Trust-based governance shifts regulation from input-control to outcome-orientation, recognising universities as knowledge institutions, not mere service providers. OECD studies link institutional autonomy with higher research productivity and innovation.
2. Indian Context – The Trust Deficit: Historically, fragmented regulators (UGC, AICTE, NCTE) fostered compliance-driven behaviour, leading to “inspection raj” rather than academic excellence. Excessive micromanagement diluted academic freedom, a core principle recognised by the Supreme Court in T.M.A. Pai Foundation (2002).

Regulatory Reforms and the VBSA Bill, 2025: A Structural Shift

1. Unified Regulatory Architecture: The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025 proposes a single apex body with independent councils for regulation, accreditation and standards—addressing mandate overlap and regulatory arbitrage.
2. From Control to “Trust-Based Disclosure”: Institutions will be evaluated on learning outcomes, research output, placements and governance quality, aligning with NEP 2020’s graded autonomy framework.
3. Public–Private Equilibrium: With nearly 78% colleges privately managed (AISHE), VBSA strengthens transparent accreditation and disclosure, essential to build public trust without stifling private initiative.

Aligning Higher Education with Leadership and Work Requirements

1. Addressing the Employability-Skill Gap: Despite rising GER (28.4%), only ~51% graduates are industry-ready (India Skills Report 2025). Reforms promote multidisciplinarity, internships and apprenticeship-integrated degrees to improve human capital quality.
2. Leadership for the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Traditional rote pedagogy limits critical thinking, ethical reasoning and adaptability. Initiatives like four-year UG degrees, Honours with Research, and Professors of Practice foster leadership suited to AI, green tech and platform economies.
3. Research Ecosystem Institutionalisation: The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and ₹1-lakh-crore RDI Scheme signal a shift from teaching-heavy universities to research-led institutions, mirroring global best practices (US NSF, China’s state-backed universities).

Global Competitiveness and Social Mobility

1. International Benchmarking: India now has 54 universities in QS Rankings 2026, up from 11 in 2015—reflecting gains in research, faculty strength and global engagement.
2. Managing Global Mobility Transitions: With 1.25 million Indian students abroad (MEA) and tightening visa regimes, reforms enabling foreign universities in India (e.g., Deakin, Southampton) expand domestic high-quality capacity.
3. Equity and Inclusion: Trust-based regulation must ensure that autonomy does not deepen inequality. Capacity support for state and regional universities is essential to prevent a two-tier system.

Limitations and Governance Challenges

1. Risk of Regulatory Centralisation: Excessive discretion within a unified regulator may reintroduce opacity unless accompanied by digital transparency, independent accreditation and grievance redressal.
2. Faculty and State Capacity Gaps: Autonomy without investment risks uneven outcomes, especially in state universities constrained by fiscal and staffing limitations.

Conclusion

As Justice J.S. Verma stressed, autonomy enables excellence. Echoing President Droupadi Murmu’s vision of education as nation-building, trust-based governance must blend freedom with accountability to shape India’s future leaders.