Deemed-to-be-University Status

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Why in News?
• About NCERT
• About the Deemed Universities/ Deemed-to-be-Universities in India
• News Summary – Deemed-to-be-University Status to NCERT

Why in News?

• National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been granted the deemed-to-be-university status by the Ministry of Education on the 63rd Foundation Day of the apex decision-making body for school education.

About NCERT:

• The NCERT is an autonomous organisation set up in 1961 by the Government of India, under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
• It was set up with the primary purpose to assist and advise the Central and State Governments on policies and programmes for qualitative improvement in school education.
• The major objectives of NCERT and its constituent units are to:
  • Undertake, promote and coordinate research in areas related to school education;
  • Prepare and publish model textbooks, supplementary material, etc. For example, Jadui Pitara – a play-based learning-teaching material tailored for children between the age group of 3 and 8 years developed by NCERT.
  • Organise pre-service and in-service training of teachers;
  • Develop and disseminate innovative educational techniques and practices;
  • Collaborate and network with state educational departments, universities, NGOs and other educational institutions;
  • Act as a clearing house for ideas and information in matters related to school education; and
  • Act as a nodal agency for achieving the goals of Universalisation of Elementary Education.
• The NCERT is an implementation agency for bilateral cultural exchange programmes with other countries in the field of school education.

About the Deemed Universities/ Deemed-to-be-Universities in India:

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• Universities in India are recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), which draws its power from the UGC Act, 1956.
• A deemed university or deemed-to-be-university is an accreditation granted to higher educational institutions (HEIs) in India.
• According to the Ministry of Education, a HEI (other than universities) that works at a very high standard in a specific field of study might be designated as a ‘Deemed-to-be-university’ by the Central Government on the advice of the UGC.
• This provision was introduced to ensure that more HEIs achieve university status for all practical purposes, because under the UGC Act, 1956, university status can be obtained by institutes established under state or union laws.
• Currently, the UGC lists ~130 institutes that have been given deemed university status.
• According to this list, the first institute to be given deemed university status was the Indian Institute of Science in 1958 and Tamil Nadu has the most deemed universities (28).
• Such institutions enjoy the academic status and privileges of a university. Also, the status of deemed university allows for complete autonomy in terms of courses, curriculum, admissions and fees.

News Summary – Deemed-to-be-University Status to NCERT:

• NCERT has established a formidable presence in research, actively shaped school education, teacher training, and adult literacy.
• Hence, NCERT on becoming a research university will offer opportunities for global collaborations and contributions to the global educational landscape.
• With the status of a deemed university, NCERT will offer its own graduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees.

Q1) Why was the Societies Registration Act of 1860 enacted?

The objective of the Societies Registration Act 1860 is to improve the legal requirements for organisations to register in order to further literature, science, the fine arts, or the dissemination of practical information for philanthropic reasons.

Q2) Why is the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India?

UGC is a statutory body under Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India. It was set up in accordance with the UGC Act 1956 and is charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education in India.

Source: NCERT gets Deemed-to-beUniversity status, says Education Minister | ToI