HRD extends deadline for sending suggestions on HECI Act draft

The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has extended the deadline till July 20 for submission of suggestions towards the proposed "Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Act, 2018" slated to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC).

"Till date we have received 3,000 suggestions in all, including 500 in writing. We feel that there are people still out there who wish to make suggestions, so we are extending the deadline till July 20 now," HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar told media here.

The minister had earlier appealed to the stakeholders -- academics, teachers, students, general public -- to send their recommendations on the Act by July 7.

Proposed last month, the new Act will be applicable to all higher educational institutions established under any Act of the Parliament excluding institutions of national importance notified so by the Central or State government.

According to the government, the Act is designed to downsize the scope of the regulator by ending its interference in the management issues of the educational institutions.

The Commission, once established, will focus solely on academic matters while the decision concerning which body will take upon the function of allocation of grants -- now with the UGC -- is yet to be worked out.

--IANS

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