Proposed HECI could lead to closure of institutions in rural areas, fuel privatisation: Parliament panel

NEW DELHI: The proposed Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) which seeks to replace different regulators including UGC and AICTE could lead to closure of institutions in rural areas that suffer from infrastructure or faculty shortages and indirectly fuel privatization, a parliamentary panel has flagged.

The committee, headed by Rajya Sabha MP Digvijay Singh, has recommended that a simplified hierarchy of regulatory bodies would be more effective. The panel also suggested that the Education Ministry should ensure that any such unified regulatory body must have adequate representation for all states and there should not be excess centralization.

The Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports presented its report in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday on 'Review of Education Standards, Accreditation Process, Research, Examination Reforms and Academic Environment in Deemed, Private Universities and other Higher Education Institutions'.

The National Education Policy, 2020 envisages the creation of HECI as the principal regulator for higher education, with four verticals for regulation, accreditation, funding, and academic standards.

"The committee observes that the multiplicity of regulators leads to inconsistency in standards and monitoring, making it difficult for institutions to function effectively. Moreover, state universities, which educate over 90 per cent of the student population, are caught in between national and state-level regulations. "The draft HECI Bill (which seeks to replace UGC as a single regulator) appears to perpetuate many of these same issues by maintaining a Central Government-heavy composition and insufficient state representation," the report said.

'Institutions in rural areas failing to meet standards could be closed'

The panel noted that the proposed HECI Bill will hold significant power, including the ability to grant degree-awarding authority and close institutions failing to meet standards.

"This removes state control and could lead to the closure of institutions in rural areas that suffer from infrastructure or faculty shortages. It would indirectly fuel privatization especially in rural areas. "The committee, therefore, recommends that a simplified hierarchy of regulatory bodies would be more effective, the department should ensure that any such unified regulatory body must have adequate representation for all states and there should not be excess centralisation," the report added.

The HECI, which was proposed in the new National Education Policy (NEP), looks to replace the UGC, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). While the UGC oversees non-technical higher education, the AICTE oversees technical education and the NCTE is the regulatory body for teachers’ education.

Higher Education Commission of India

The concept of HECI has been discussed before in the form of a draft Bill. A draft Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Bill, 2018, which seeks to repeal the UGC Act and provides for setting up of the Higher Education Commission of India, was put in public domain in 2018 for feedback and consultation with stakeholders.

Renewed efforts to make the HECI a reality were then initiated under Dharmendra Pradhan, who took over as Union Education Minister in July 2021. Underlining the relevance of a single higher education regulator, the NEP 2020 document says that "the regulatory system is in need of a complete overhaul in order to re-energise the higher education sector and enable it to thrive".

It further adds that the new system should ensure that the distinct functions of regulation, accreditation, funding, and academic standard setting are performed by distinct, independent, and empowered bodies.