Arjun

New Delhi, Jan. 15: The powers of two of the most important authorities of higher education — the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council of Technical Education (Aicte) — will be drastically reduced if the National Knowledge Commission has its way.

The commission, in its report recently submitted to the Prime Minister, has argued for an Independent Regulatory Authority for Higher Education, which will to a large extent replace the UGC and the Aicte.

The main objective behind setting up such an authority is to create a professional organisation rather than a bureaucratic set-up that is less academic and more vulnerable to manipulations by vested interest groups.

“The challenge is to design a regulatory system that increases the supply of good institutions and fosters accountability in those institutions. An independent regulator has to be the cornerstone of such a system,” the report says.

The Arjun Singh-led human resource development ministry, engaged in an unstated turf war with the commission on policy matters, remained non-committal on the independent authority.

The ministry wants strict regulation not only for domestic but also private and foreign education providers.

It has drawn up a bill that is likely to be passed in Parliament’s budget session on the guidelines that would govern these educational institutions.

This is also what the commission wants, but there could be a difference of perception. The HRD ministry may be in favour of a revamped UGC or Aicte.

At present, the two regulating authorities perform a range of functions — from deciding entry of institutions to accreditation and disbursement of public funds. In its recommendations to the Prime Minister, the commission has suggested that these responsibilities be slashed.

The proposed independent authority “will be responsible for setting the criteria and deciding on entry (of institutions)”, the report says, adding that it will “license agencies to take care of accreditation”.

The UGC’s role will be whittled down to disbursing funds. The Medical Council of India (MCI) will also have to give up its power of regulating the entry of medical institutions.

The authority “will perform the entry regulatory functions of the UGC, Aicte, MCI and the Bar Council of India”, the commission says.

The UGC, Aicte and the MCI have often been criticised for inefficiency and unprofessional functioning. The Aicte, which governs technical institutions, has been at the receiving end for patronising politicians and allowing sub-standard technical institutions to come up. Last year, the HRD ministry launched a string of reform policies to overhaul the organisation.

Headed by a chairperson, the proposed authority will have six members, each with a six-year tenure.

“The chairperson will be a distinguished academic from any discipline with experience of governance in higher education. The members will be distinguished academics drawn from physical sciences, life sciences, social sciences, humanities and professional subjects like engineering, medicine, law or management,” the report says.