UGC, AICTE to be history soon; govt to bring new higher education regulator

UGC and AICTE are soon going to be a thing of the past with the government planning to replace them with a single higher education regulator.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) are soon going to be a thing of the past with the government planning to replace them with a single higher education regulator.

The proposed Higher Education Empowerment Regulation Agency (HEERA) is aimed at eliminating overlaps in jurisdiction and remove irrelevant regulatory provisions.

The HRD ministry is working with Niti Aayog on the plan of bringing technical as well as non-technical institutions under the same umbrella.

According to sources, a detailed blueprint of the proposed regulator and its legislation is being worked upon.

“Both Niti Aayog and HRD ministry officials are working on the plan. It was felt that multiple regulatory bodies led to excessive and restrictive regulation and hence contributed to lack of institutional autonomy,” a source said.

However, the plan to have a single higher education regulator is not a new one but has been recommended by various committees set up by the government.

Source: Hindustan Times, 6-06-2017