The government on Tuesday acknowledged that the proposed law on the regulatory architecture for education, which gives the education ministry power to fund institutions, was a departure from its own National Education Policy (NEP) that recommended the creation of a separate body for the purpose.

The NEP 2020 had proposed a higher education commission with four verticals, including a Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC).

However, the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan (VBSA) Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday, proposes three councils to take care of regulation, accreditation and standards setting while entrusting the education ministry with the power to handle disbursement of grants to institutions.

Defending the proposed bill, a government official said the idea of one single funding agency under the NEP was not logical anymore, given multiple sources of funding.

The official referred to the setting up of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) in 2023 for funding scientific and technical research in institutions, although the HEGC was also supposed to fund research.

“The NEP says there should be a single funding agency. But a separate research funding agency has already been set up. A lot of corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds are also coming to institutions. Funding has become a wide area, necessitating a change in the funding arrangement,” the official said.

The Federation of Central Universities Teachers’ Association opposed the provision, saying it would lead to education ministry interference in the functioning of higher educational institutions.

The government official said the bill had created provision for representation from the state government in the three councils under the VBSA that seek to replace the University Grants Commission, All India Council for Technical Education and the National Council for Teacher Education. The existing regulators do not have representation from states.

He said the councils would function as autonomous institutions while the VBSA would coordinate with them. Students’ feedback will be taken for accreditation and ranking.