HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION TO REPLACE UGC, AICTE FROM 2021: OFFICIAL

The Higher Education Commission will be set up next year, and will replace autonomous bodies like UGC and AICTE, said a high-level official.

A top government official has confirmed that the Higher Education Commission, which is set to replace autonomous bodies like University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), will be set up by the next academic year.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the recently approved education policy by the Union Cabinet, recommended setting up of the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) as a single overarching umbrella body for higher education, excluding medical and legal education.

"You will see some of the major changes in 2021 itself. If I could list out, for example, the common admission test for entrance to all central universities that are coming in 2021, the 

academic Bank of credit through which one can transfer credits one university to another, that is also 2021," Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare said.

Autonomous bodies to get merged

Bodies like the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) will get merged as per the regulatory changes planned for next academic year.

While speaking at a virtual conference organised by FICC, Amit  Khare said, "And in the next academic session, we will be having one single Higher Education Commission of India."

Amit Khare also talked about the National Research Fund, which is mentioned in the National Education Policy, and how it will promote research across the Country.

"All universities, be it private, state, or Central, they can have competitive funding. It's like the National Science Foundation of the USA. Some addition that we have added, social science also will be the part of  National Research Fund," he said, as per PTI reports.