Regulating higher education: Focus should be on improving outcomes

The UGC oversees non-technical universities, the AICTE is concerned with technical education, while the NCTE is the regulatory body for teachers' education

The Union government this week introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, in Parliament. The Bill envisages replacing the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) with a single apex institution called the “Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan”. The new body will function through three distinct but interlinked verticals: A regulatory council, an accreditation council, and a standards council. Significantly, it brings institutions of national importance such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), and Indian Institute