A group of teachers from central universities and several academic associations strongly opposed the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill on Monday, warning that it could undermine university autonomy, public funding of higher education, and teachers’ service conditions.
Bill overview and concerns
Introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday, the Bill proposes to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) with a single apex body called the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan and three councils for regulation, accreditation, and academic standards. The government says this move aims to simplify oversight and reduce duplication.
Teachers’ groups fear the Bill will centralize control and remove funding powers from the new commission, potentially dismantling publicly funded higher education. Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha said the commission will be led by a chairperson with wide regulatory powers but without authority to fund institutions.
Educationist Nandita Narain added that the Bill makes the Ministry of Education responsible for grants, which could lead to bureaucratic and politically influenced funding decisions.
Government’s position and Parliamentary Process
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan defended the Bill, saying it aligns with the National Education Policy 2020 and aims to reduce over-regulation and repeated inspections. He assured that states will retain their current powers and dismissed concerns over autonomy. On Tuesday, Pradhan moved a resolution to refer the Bill to a joint parliamentary committee, which was approved.
Opposition members including Congress MP Manish Tewari and DMK MP T M Selvaganapathy raised concerns about excessive centralization and the Union government becoming the sole decision-maker, which they said goes against constitutional principles.
The Bill covers all central universities and key institutions like IITs and IIMs, which are currently outside UGC regulation. The government hopes a single regulator will streamline higher education governance across India.
(With inputs from agencies)