Higher Education Commission of India Bill 2025: Key Provisions, Concerns & NEP 2020 Link

Higher Education Commission of India Bill 2025 Latest News

• Five years after NEP 2020 proposed it, the government is set to table the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill 2025 in the upcoming Winter Session. 
• The Bill aims to merge the regulatory roles of the UGC, AICTE, and NCTE into one unified authority, marking the second attempt to establish a single higher education regulator in India.

HECI: India’s Proposed Single Regulator for Higher Education

• The Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill draws directly from NEP 2020, which recommended replacing the fragmented regulatory structure with a single overarching authority.
• Currently, India’s higher education landscape is regulated by multiple statutory bodies: 
  • the University Grants Commission (UGC) oversees higher education, 
  • the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) regulates technical and professional education, and 
  • the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) governs teacher education.

Four Verticals Under HECI

• NEP 2020 outlines four specialised bodies within HECI:
  • National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC): Regulates all higher education except medical and legal fields.
  • National Accreditation Council (NAC): Serves as the accrediting authority.
  • General Education Council (GEC): Frames academic learning outcomes and standards.
  • Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC): Handles funding and grants (though officials indicate funding may still rest with the government).
• HECI itself will function as a compact body of eminent experts overseeing the four verticals.

Reducing Red Tape and Conflict of Interest

• NEP 2020 criticised the existing system for being “mechanistic and disempowering”, with concentrated powers, regulatory overlap, and conflicts of interest. 
• The new commission aims to streamline governance, ensure accountability, and eliminate bureaucratic hurdles.

Autonomy and Quality Focus

• The Bill seeks to empower higher education institutions to operate as “independent self-governing institutions” while ensuring excellence through a transparent accreditation system and enhanced institutional autonomy.

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The 2018 HECI Bill: Key Provisions and Why It Stalled

• The government’s first attempt to replace the UGC came through the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, 2018. 
• It proposed a new commission with a chairperson, vice-chairperson, and 12 members appointed by the Centre. 
• Since the Bill did not merge AICTE and NCTE, their chairpersons were included as members.
• The 2018 draft limited HECI’s powers to setting academic standards and granting autonomy while leaving funding authority with the Ministry of Human Resource Development. 
• It also planned an advisory council headed by the HRD Minister and comprising state higher education council heads.
• However, the Bill drew criticism for potentially centralising authority and creating excessive overregulation. 
• Following strong pushback during public consultations, it was shelved and revisited for alignment with the NEP 2020 framework.

Opposition to HECI: Concerns Over Centralisation and Autonomy

• Fears of Excessive Centralisation
  • Critics argue that the HECI framework concentrates too much authority with the Union government. 
  • The 2018 Bill shifted UGC’s financial powers to the MHRD, raising concerns that universities could lose autonomy and become dependent on central directives.
• Lack of Diverse Representation
  • Opposition leaders objected to the commission’s composition. 
  • They noted the absence of representation from disadvantaged groups — women, Dalits, Adivasis, OBCs, minorities, and persons with disabilities — while industry stakeholders were prominently included.
• Apprehensions From States
  • The then CM of Tamil Nadu warned that centralised funding could lead to biased resource allocation. 
  • He feared that replacing UGC grants with ministry-controlled funding might shift to a 60:40 Centre-state share, reducing states’ financial autonomy.
• Parliamentary Panel’s Warning
  • A parliamentary standing committee flagged “excess centralisation” concerns. 
  • The panel noted that while multiple regulators create inconsistency, the proposed HECI model risks trapping state universities between national and state rules, with insufficient state representation in decision-making.
• Overall Concern
  • Across political and academic circles, the prevailing worry is that HECI could weaken federalism, dilute institutional autonomy, and marginalise key stakeholders in higher education governance.

Source: IE | IT