Govt to Replace UGC, AICTE, NCTE with Unified Higher Education Commission of India

The Ministry of Education informed the Lok Sabha that it is drafting a bill to establish the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), envisioned under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

HECI will replace existing bodies such as UGC, AICTE, and NCTE, with four independent verticals for regulation, accreditation, funding, and academic standard-setting. 

The idea is to streamline higher education governance with a “light but tight” regulatory framework. A draft bill was first introduced in 2018, with renewed focus under Minister Dharmendra Pradhan since 2021.

HECI seeks to overhaul the fragmented regulatory system to energise India’s higher education landscape.