Don’t worry, government tells UGC

NEW DELHI - With the National Commission for Higher Education and Research set to administer higher education in India, the government says officials of the existing regulators have nothing to worry.

The proposed National Commission will replace the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) as well as over a dozen other regulators.

“We will accommodate officials from both UGC and AICTE in the new body,” a source in the human resource development ministry told IANS.

“The plan is to let the existing bodies function simultaneously for one year so that the transition is smooth and there are no major bumps,” added the official.

The National Commission for Higher Education and Research will replace all existing higher education regulators.

Among the regulatory bodies now overseeing various streams of higher education are the Medical Council of India and Bar Council of India, which are governed by the health and law ministries respectively.

The draft of the proposed commission was placed in front of the Central Advisory Board of Education last week. It is expected to be presented in the winter session of parliament.

But officials at UGC and AICTE are not impressed.

“It is very much unclear what will ultimately happen,” an official from UGC said. “The seniority will be lost, it will be like starting fresh even if we are accommodated in the new body,” an AICTE official said.

There is stiff opposition from both the health and law ministries against the inclusion of the Medical Council of India and the Bar Council of India in the new body.

–Indo Asian News Service