Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) to replace UGC | By Dr. Mahipal Singh Rathore

Table of Contents

UGC

It provides

1. Recognition to universities in India
2. Disburses funds to recognised universities and colleges. Quality assurance + Funding Professional councils are responsible for recognition of courses, promotion of professional institutions and providing grants to undergraduate programmes and various awards.
The statutory professional councils are:
• All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE)
• Medical Council of India (MCI)
• Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR)
• National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)
• Dental Council of India (DCI)
• Pharmacy Council of India (PCI)
• Indian Nursing Council (INC)
• Bar Council of India (BCI)
• Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH)
• Central Council for Indian Medicine (CCIM)
• Council of Architecture
• Distance Education Council (DEC)
• Rehabilitation Council
• National Council for Rural Institutes (NCRI)
• State Councils of Higher Education (SCHE)
• Constitutional bodies are those that derive their existence and thus authority from the Constitution itself.
Finance Commission [Art 280] Election Commission [Art 324]
• Statutory body is one that derives its existence and authority from a statute (law). Wildlife Board constituted under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Non-statutory body would thus be one that has no legislative backing. **NITI Aayog – These non-statutory extra-constitutional bodies are usually created through an executive order.

Why remove UGC?

• Rot in higher education sector in India
• Deteriorating quality of institutions
• Grants being disbursed without proper quality checks
• Corruption in inspection of colleges
• No power to shut down fake colleges/universities
• Decreasing a level in governance – ‘MAXIMUM GOVERNANCE, MINIMUM GOVERNMENT’
• Work has increased tremendously – Approximately 100 Universities and 1000 colleges in 1956 Approximately 1,000 Universities and 45,000 colleges now Takes 3 to 4 years sometimes for inspection to be done and reports to be uploaded
• Conflict of interest – maintainence of standards and funding together

The new regulator

Higher Education

Commission of India

HECI will be the new, apex regulator for university and higher education in India. It has to set benchmarks for academic performance, ensure that institutions adhere to these and act against those that violate standards.

HOW IS HECI DIFFERENT FROM UGC?

• HECI will be a new avatar of UGC with a different vision, focus and powers.
• While UGC has been vested with grant-giving powers, HECI will have no funds to dole out.
• This is a decision based on the recommendations of many government committees which pointed out how the fund-giving functions of the UGC allowed for overregulation .
• The fund divestment move will ensure that HECI focuses single-mindedly on academics .

Composition

• UGC: Has a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, and 10 members appointed by the Central government, some ex-officio members and some from academia, industry. The Chairman’s retirement age is 65 and has a term of 5 years, with an extension of additional 5 years.
• HECI: It shall comprise a Chairperson, a ViceChairperson, and 12 members to be appointed by the Centre, including educationists and a member of the industry. The Chairperson’s retirement age is 70, will hold office for five years.

Financial powers

• UGC: It disburses grants to Central institutions out of its funds
• HECI: It will specify standards for grant of authorisation to a university to commence its academic operations

Academic powers

• UGC: It is mandated to promote and coordinate university education and determine and maintain standards of teaching, examination and research.
• HECI: It will specify standards for grant of authorisation to a university Inspection • UGC: To assess financial needs or standards of teaching in an institution, UGC conducts periodic

inspections

• HECI: No inspections. The body will prescribe norms on academic performance by higher educational institutions.
• The UGC appoints its own staff. The same will apply to the HECI as well. The present staff of UGC will be re-trained to work on fully digital mode — without physical files — at HECI.

Action on bogus institutions

• UGC: Affiliations of colleges to universities can be terminated for contravention of its regulations. It can withhold grants to universities for violations of its regulations. It occasionally publishes lists of bogus institutions.
• HECI: It will be empowered to penalise or even shut down substandard institutions without affecting students’ interests. If the management of the institution does not comply with the penalties, they can land in jail for up to three years.

Disputes

• UGC: In case of any dispute between the Centre and the UGC on policy, the Centre prevails.
• HECI: The Centre prevails in case of any dispute between the Centre and the HECI on policy.

What can be the problems with HECI?

• This government also proposed a single regulator in 2016 A draft for creating ‘Higher Education Empowerment Regulation Agency (HEERA)’ was circulated and discussed. Other regulators which were to be subsumed by HEERA , like All India Council for Technical Education and National Council for Teacher Education, red-flagged concerns.
• Law and architecture councils are being kept out of HECI
• MCI,DCI will have concerns
• DUTA – “It is also not clear how shifting grant functions to the Ministry will result in less interference. On the contrary, we fear that it will result in an increased direct interference by the Governments.“
• Only 1 week time for suggestions (7 July 2018)