Education Ministry

FTII Pune, SRFTI granted university status, says Education ministry

Renowned film making schools-- Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata-- have been granted deemed-to-be university status, according to Ministry of Education. The new status will empower them to award degrees rather than just diplomas and also offer doctoral programmes. "FTII Pune and SRFTI Kolkata, have been granted deemed-to-be university status under section 3 of the UGC Act. The status has been notified following recommendation made by the University Grants Commission," a senior MoE official said. "Both institutes will launch doctoral, research and innovative academic programmes. They will also participate in NIRF Rankings and integrate with Academic Bank of Credits (ABC). Aligned with vision of National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, this landmark decision will pave way for greater autonomy, innovation and academic excellence in film and media education," the official added. FTII was set up by the ...

SC notice to education ministry on plea seeking fair grading by NAAC

The Supreme Court has sought response from the Union education ministry and others on a plea seeking measures to ensure fair and transparent grading by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council of Higher Education Institutions. A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Joymalya Bagchi issued notice to the ministry, the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the NAAC on a plea filed by NGO Bistro Destino Foundation. The NAAC, set up in 1994, is an autonomous body under the UGC that grades colleges and universities on parameters such as curriculum, faculty, infrastructure, research and financial well-being. "We wish to go deep into the matter and know how NAAC is functioning issue notice. Liberty to file additional documents," the bench said in its April 9 order. The plea has raised concerns of transparency and fairness in the process of assessment and grading of higher educational institutions conducted by the NAAC. The petition stated that under the present system of functioni

School enrollments drop in last 2 years: Union Minister in Lok Sabha

The country has reported a worrying drop in school enrollments in 2023-24, especially at the elementary level where numbers declined by around eight percentage points compared to 2021-22, according to government data presented in Parliament on Thursday. Replying to a question on the living standards of tribal people, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey told Lok Sabha that the gross enrollment ratio of tribal students at the elementary level declined from 103.4 per cent in 2021-22 to 97.1 per cent in 2023-24. In comparison, the GER of students from all communities dropped sharply from 100.13 per cent in 2021-22 to 91.7 per cent in 2023-24. At the secondary level (classes 9-10), the GER of tribal students dropped from 78.1 per cent in 2021-22 to 76.9 per cent in 2023-24, the data showed. For students from all communities, the GER at the secondary level decreased from 79.56 per cent in 2021-22 to 77.4 per cent in 2023-24. At the senior secondary level (classes .

5 foreign universities to open campuses in Navi Mumbai: CM Fadnavis

Five foreign universities have evinced interest to set up a campus in the satellite city of Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday. These include three from the US, which is among the top 50 in the world, and one each from Australia and the UK, the chief minister said while speaking at a USIBC event here. The state is yet to sign a formal memorandum of understanding with the universities as they can enter into such an agreement only after getting a nod from the University Grants Commission, he added. The state is following up with UGC on the matter, and the universities will come up on an education city coming up in an urban settlement coming up across the harbour touted as the "Third Mumbai", he said. Fadnavis said Maharashtra is carving out dedicated zones with shared infrastructure in the new city dedicated to certain activities, like education, innovation, data centres, medical centres, sports etc. The new city will be three times bigger th

Govt committed to ensuring fair conduct of examinations: MoS Education

The government is committed to ensure fair conduct of examinations and trying to strengthen the system to prevent any malpractice, Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar said on Wednesday in the Rajya Sabha. Replying to queries during Question Hour related to irregularities in the NEET (UG) exam held last year, the minister cited a Supreme Court order to assert that there was no systemic failure and the government has already asked CBI to investigate the matter and five charge sheets have been filed against 45 people in the paper theft case. Majumdar said the government has passed a new law 'Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024' and implemented many recommendations of the K Radhakrishnan committee. "Our government is committed that examinations are held in a clean system. We assure that under the Modi government, we will not allow any malpractice," he said. Already, he said, the Supreme Court has given a verdict that there is no systemic leakage

Education minister faces fallout for reviving lost battle: TN CM Stalin

He further alleged that the row over the imposition of the three-language formula had become a laughing stock in Tamil Nadu

No discrimination in education: SC on plea for school access to Rohingyas

No child will be discriminated against in education, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday while fixing for next week a plea seeking a direction to the Centre and the Delhi governments to grant Rohingya refugees in the city access to public schools and hospitals. The court just wants to know where these Rohingya families are living, in whose house and what are their particulars, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said while making the the no discrimination in education point. Senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the NGO Rohingya Human Rights Initiative, said he has filed an affidavit giving the details and pointed out that the Rohingya refugees have UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) cards. It will be easier for the NGO to give the particulars if these Rohingya families have these cards, Justice Surya Kant said. Gonsalves then sought some time to furnish more details to the court. The top court posted the matter for further hearing after

Private university bill necessary in accordance with times: Kerala edu min

Kerala Higher Education Minister R Bindu on Tuesday defended the cabinet decision approving a draft bill for the establishment and management of private universities in the state, saying that it was a necessary move in accordance with the changing times. Bindu, speaking to reporters here, said that it was a decision which the state could no longer avoid and that it was necessary for the progress and improvement of higher education in Kerala. She said that the cabinet also approved a bill for bringing changes to the functioning of state-run universities. The minister said that the new bills will bring changes which would benefit students from the state and help them keep up with the increasing competitiveness in higher education. She also said that there was nothing to be concerned about the coming of private universities as only 20 per cent of the higher education institutions in the state were government-run and the rest were all aided or unaided. Bindu also said that there would

Budget 2025: India's education Budget grows, but lags behind global trends

In the Union Budget 2025, the government allocates Rs 1.28 trillion to education, an increase of 6.5 per cent of Rs 1.20 trillion last year

6 states adopt resolution seeking withdrawal of draft UGC regulations 2025

Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka adopted the 15-point resolution at the conclave of State Higher Education Ministers-2025

NEET-UG will continue to be conducted in pen and paper mode: NTA confirms

The Centre has decided against conducting the medical entrance exam NEET-UG in online mode for now, and announced on Thursday it will continue to be conducted in pen and paper mode. The decision comes after detailed deliberations between education and health ministries on whether to conduct the NEET-UG in pen and paper mode or online mode. "As decided by the National Medical Commission(NMC), the NEET-UG shall be conducted in Pen and paper mode (OMR based) in a single day and shift," a senior National Testing Agency (NTA) official said on Thursday. The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) is the largest entrance exam in the country in terms of number of candidates appearing for the test. In 2024, a record more than 24 lakh candidates took the exam. The NTA conducts the NEET every year for admission into medical colleges. A total of 1,08,000 seats are available for MBSS course. Of the seats available for the MBBS course, approximately 56,000 are in government hospitals and

UGC should hold talks with states before regulation changes: K'taka min

Karnataka Minister M C Sudhakar has written to Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan expressing his opposition to the recently published draft UGC Regulations, 2025. He said UGC should be engaging in a dialogue with state governments before proposing any changes. The University Grants Commission (UGC) called for public consultation of its draft for Minimum Qualifications for Appointment and Promotion of Teachers and Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education Regulations. In a letter dated January 13, Karnataka Minister for Higher Education Sudhakar said the state strongly opposes certain provisions related to the appointment of Vice-Chancellors, which he said, strike at the root of the higher education system and powers of the state government. According to the minister, the draft guidelines provide no role for the state government in selecting the Vice-Chancellor of a university. "The guidelines provide

8th edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha receives more than 27 mn registrations

As per the release, this remarkable response underscores the growing resonance of the program as a true Jan Andolan

Parents can be legally compelled to offer education money to daughter: SC

Daughter has an indefeasible, legally enforceable and legitimate right to secure educational expenses from her parents, who can be compelled to provide necessary funds within their means, the Supreme Court recently said. The remarks of a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan came in a matrimonial dispute in which the daughter of the estranged couple, who was studying in Ireland, refused to accept Rs 43 lakh given by her father towards her studies as a part of the total alimony being paid to her mother. "She, being the daughter, has an indefeasible, legally enforceable, lawful, and legitimate right to secure educational expenses from her parents. All that we observe is that the daughter has a fundamental right to pursue her education, for which the parents could be compelled to provide necessary funds within the limit of their financial resources," said the bench's January 2 order. The daughter of the parties, it said, to maintain her own dignity had declined to retai

DU to distribute laptops, tablets to orphaned, visually impaired students

The Delhi University will distribute laptops and tablets to orphaned female and single-parent female students along with visually impaired students on January 4, according to an official statement. The distribution will be done at the inaugural of DU Samarpan Samaroh event slated to be attended by Union Minister of Education, Dharmendra Pradhan at the Vice Regal Lodge. The distribution of laptops and tablets will take place under the Sashakt Beti' and e-Drishti' programmes, with the vision of promoting digital inclusivity and academic excellence, the statement said. Under the programmes, female students who are either orphans or single-parent children with a family income of less than Rs 4 lakh, studying at the university are eligible to avail of the benefit. The University of Delhi Foundation, a non-profit company, established by DU will facilitate the distribution ceremony. The primary objective of the foundation is to build the endowment fund of the university by mobilising ...

Arunish Chawla named revenue secy, Vineet Joshi to be higher education secy

Chawla, a 1992 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Bihar cadre, is currently the pharmaceuticals secretary

NCERT textbooks to get cheaper next year as printing capacity triples

Increased demand drives NCERT to boost printing from 50 million to 150 million textbooks next year, ensuring affordable prices and no financial burden on parents, says education minister

Himachal to include constitutional values in school curriculum syllabus

He directed the officers to complete all the formalities for setting up these schools in a time-bound manner and directed them to prepare parameters for their administrative control

21 fake universities operating in India: Govt urges MPs to caution students

Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar urges MPs to publicise the list of 21 fake universities operating across India. See full list here

Vice President Dhankhar raises concerns over commercialisation of education

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday expressed concerns over the commercialisation of education and called for brainstorming efforts to address it, stressing that it should be imparted in the spirit of service. Calling education an important tool, he said it can bring equality, boost democracy and ensure prosperity in the world. Dhankhar was addressing students after unveiling a statue of Jiwajirao Scindia of the Scindia dynasty at the Jiwaji University in Gwalior. He said that the path of showing interest in education was paved by Maharaja Jiwajirao Scindia, and urged industries, businesses and institutions to invest in education. I appeal to industry, trade, business and corporates and their associations to take a policy decision to pool their CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds to bring about institutions and nurture them because investment in education is not only for the present but also for the future and assures our growth to be transformed from incremental to .