Education bill: Single regulator with 3 councils proposed

According to the bill, a copy of which HT has seen, the new commission will help universities and other higher educational institutions “become independent self-governing institutions and promote excellence through a robust and transparent system of accreditation and autonomy”

A three-council commission will serve as the single higher education regulator, tasked with enforcing outcome-based accreditation, setting academic standards, and granting graded autonomy to institutions, the bill, which the government plans to table during the winter session to overhaul the education system, proposes.  

Education bill: Single regulator with 3 councils proposed

Approved by the cabinet on Friday, the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025--earlier called the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill--aims to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). It also seeks to regulate the establishment of higher educational institutes, imposing a fine of ₹2 crore on those who set up universities without proper government approval.

According to the bill, a copy of which HT has seen, the new commission will help universities and other higher educational institutions “become independent self-governing institutions and promote excellence through a robust and transparent system of accreditation and autonomy”. 

The panel will formulate and suggest schemes to improve the quality of education and advise the Centre and the states on “holistic development of higher education,” the bill states, adding that it will also develop “a road map for promoting India as an education destination”.

 The new higher education commission will consist of three wings--the Regulatory Council, Accreditation Council, and Standards Council. The 12-member commission will include the presidents of each council, the Union higher education secretary, two eminent academicians from state higher education institutions, five distinguished experts, and a member secretary, the bill proposes. All appointments will be made by the Centre through a three-member search panel, the bill states.

It adds that no office bearer or employee of the commission or any council can face a “suit, prosecution, or other legal proceedings… for anything which has been done or intended to be done in good faith under this act.”

 The bill states that institutions violating its provisions might face fines ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹30 lakh, and repeated offences could attract penalties of at least ₹75 lakh or suspension. It also stipulates that “if any person establishes a university or higher educational institution without the approval of the Central Government or the respective State Government, such person shall be liable to a penalty which shall not be less than two crore rupees”.

The proposed act will apply to all Institutions of National Importance, other institutions established by Parliament, universities and colleges in India, institutions governed by the Architects Act, 1972, AICTE-regulated institutions, open and distance learning institutions, and other higher education bodies.

The concept of a single higher education regulator was first proposed in 2018 with a draft HECI Bill intended to replace the UGC Act, but it stalled due to concerns over centralisation and potential loss of university autonomy. The proposal was revived under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and momentum for a single education regulator increased after Dharmendra Pradhan became Union education minister in 2021.

At present, UGC regulates non-technical higher education, the AICTE oversees technical education, and the NCTE is the regulatory body for teachers’ education.

The bill also lists the distinct roles and responsibilities of each of the three wings in regulating higher education. The 14-member Regulatory Council will oversee governance and accreditation, ensuring “all higher educational institutions attain full accreditation and thereby autonomy in a graded manner,” the bill proposes. It will develop a “coherent policy to prevent commercialisation”, while also monitoring public disclosure of finances, audits, infrastructure, faculty, courses, educational outcomes, and accreditation information by institutions.

The council will also specify standards for select foreign universities to operate in India and “facilitate high-performing Indian Universities to set up campuses in other countries”.

The Accreditation Council, also with 14 members, will develop “an outcome based Institutional Accreditation Framework… which shall be used to assess and accredit higher educational institutions…” the bill proposes.  According to the bill, the Institutional Accreditation Framework will set accreditation parameters based on educational outcomes, good governance, financial probity, and stability, providing guidance to accrediting institutions as specified by the Accreditation Council.

The Standards Council, or Viksit Bharat Shiksha Manak Parishad, will determine “academic standards in higher educational institutions and frame “expected learning outcomes’ (‘graduate attributes’)”. It will “lay down clear minimum standards for setting up and operation of higher educational institutions” and also establish the qualification for any person to be appointed as the staff of the higher educational institutes. It will also ensure the promotion of internationalisation to achieve world-class standards, alongside the Indianisation of education to advance Bharatiya knowledge, arts, and languages, the bill proposes.

The term of the chairperson of the commission and the president of each of the councils will be for an initial period of three years, extendable to up to five years, and they will be eligible for reappointment for another term, the bill states, the bill states. They can be removed by the President of India. The commission will have its own fund to be called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Fund and all sums that may, from time to time, be granted to it by the central government. 

Experts said the success of the proposed higher education regulator will depend on its ability to balance reform with cooperation and autonomy.

 “The crucial thing for the new higher education regulator is that it should take states along and not try to be dictatorial. The new commission should be more cooperative rather than controlling to bring positive reforms,” R. Subrahmanyam, former higher education secretary, told HT.

Prof V Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice Chancellor, BITS Pilani, said the proposed overhaul marks a significant change in the government’s approach to higher education but also cautioned that greater regulatory coherence must not come at the cost of institutional autonomy.

 “The move towards the Higher Education Commission of India signals an important shift in thinking. Separating regulation from funding, emphasising outcomes rather than inputs, and bringing all streams under a common vision are steps in the right direction. But reforms must never slip into excessive oversight. Institutions need trust, autonomy, and the room to innovate,” he said.

 The Opposition has objected to the proposed revamp. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports, which is headed by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, in February raised concerns over the plan to have a single principal regulator of higher education, warning of “excessive centralisation” and inadequate representation of states.