Centre likely to replace UGC with a more powerful regulator

In a bid to strengthen the higher education sector of the country, the central government is likely to replace the University Grants Commission with an agency which has more power to ensure the quality of the institutions which are supposed to function under the agency and less powerful to take care of the financial requirements of these institutions.

At present, the UGC is a higher education regulator which regulates a section of the higher education sector. It has power to allocate funds. But, unfortunately, it has no power to punish the institutions which violate the guidelines prescribed by the agency for maintaining the quality of education.

The regulator, which is proposed to replace the UGC, will have certain special powers. It will be powerful enough to punish the institutions which violate its guidelines suggested to protect and improve the quality of the institutions, by imposing fines and even by awarding jail terms.

The government has placed the draft bill for the Higher Education Commission of India in the public domain. It is now open for accepting all kinds of suggestions from the public, particularly those closely associated with the sector such as educationalists.

As per a latest update, the government, in the future, will create a separate regulator to take care of the financial affairs of the institutions. Moreover, as per that update, the government will also revamp other regulators such as AICTE operating in the higher education sector.

Can these proposed reforms improve the higher education sector of the country?

Vignesh. S. G

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