Indian Government Drafts Bill to Establish Unified Higher Education Commission of India (HECI)

New Delhi, July 24, 2025 – The Indian Ministry of Education is actively drafting a transformative bill to establish the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), a single regulatory body aimed at replacing the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). This move aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which advocates for a “light but tight” regulatory framework to enhance transparency, efficiency, and innovation in India’s higher education system. The HECI, first proposed in the NEP 2020, is envisioned as an umbrella organization with four independent verticals: regulation, accreditation, funding, and academic standard-setting. This unified structure aims to eliminate the fragmented oversight currently managed by the UGC (non-technical education), AICTE (technical education), and NCTE (teacher education). The initiative seeks to streamline compliance, foster institutional autonomy, and align India’s higher education with global standards.

Union Minister of State for Education, Sukanta Majumdar, announced the bill’s progress in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on July 21, 2025. He emphasized that the HECI will promote integrity, resource efficiency, and innovation while ensuring accountability through audits and public disclosures.

The concept of a unified regulator is not new. In 2018, the government released a draft bill, the Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Bill, which proposed scrapping the UGC Act of 1956. Although it faced criticism and was stalled after public consultations, renewed efforts under Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan since July 2021 have revitalized the push for HECI.

A parliamentary panel in February 2025, chaired by Rajya Sabha MP Digvijay Singh, raised concerns about potential challenges, including the risk of rural institution closures and increased privatization. The panel recommended a simplified regulatory hierarchy with adequate state representation to avoid excessive centralization.

Key Features of the Proposed HECI

Unified Regulation: HECI will integrate the functions of UGC, AICTE, and NCTE, reducing bureaucratic overlaps and creating a single-window approach.

Independent Verticals: The commission will have dedicated units for regulation, accreditation (merging NAAC and NBA), funding, and academic standards, inspired by global models like the UK’s Office for Students (OfS) and Australia’s TEQSA.

Enhanced Autonomy: The “light but tight” framework will grant higher education institutions (HEIs) greater operational freedom while ensuring accountability.

Global Competitiveness: HECI aims to modernize India’s higher education to attract international students and faculty, aligning with 21st-century economic demands.

Quality Assurance: A peer-review-based accreditation system, similar to the U.S. model, will ensure consistent quality across disciplines.

Potential Challenges

Centralization Concerns: The 2018 draft faced backlash for limited academic representation and excessive government control. Only two serving professors were included in the 12-member commission, raising fears of reduced institutional autonomy.

Rural Impact: The parliamentary panel warned that HECI’s stringent regulations could lead to the closure of rural institutions with infrastructure or faculty shortages, potentially fueling privatization.

Implementation Hurdles: Merging three established bodies with distinct mandates requires careful restructuring, as outlined in a 2023 UGC report submitted to the Ministry of Education.

The draft bill has sparked significant discussion on social media platforms like X, with users expressing both optimism and skepticism. Posts on X highlight the reform as a “landmark decision” for modernizing education, while others urge caution to ensure inclusivity and state representation, and the Ministry of Education is expected to finalize the draft bill soon, followed by public consultations and stakeholder feedback. The bill’s introduction in Parliament, potentially during the upcoming Monsoon Session, will be a critical milestone in reshaping India’s higher education landscape.