Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan: The Unified Higher Education Regulator

Abstract

National Education Policy 2020 has proposed a revamp of the regulatory structure of the higher education system in India. It opined that the University Grants Commission is overburdened and it performs work of diverse nature. There is a need for specialised bodies for performing distinct functions of regulation, accreditation, funding and academic standard setting. To implement this recommendation of the NEP 2020, the Government of India introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhisthan Bill in the Parliament. This bill proposes the setting up of three different bodies for regulation, accreditation and standard setting of higher education. In this paper, various aspects of the Bill are discussed, along with the related recommendations of the NEP 2020. A criticism is also made of the various clauses of the Bill.