The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025:
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025, introduced in the Lok Sabha, seeks to revolutionize higher education by establishing a single apex regulatory body.
Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025:
- The Bill proposes the creation of the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (the Commission) as the supreme regulatory authority for higher education in India.
- It aims to implement the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) by replacing three major existing regulators: the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
Key Features of the Bill:
- Three Verticals: The Commission will operate through three specialized Councils:
- Regulatory Council: Acts as a common regulator for institutional governance.
- Accreditation Council: Oversees the quality assessment and accreditation systems.
- Standards Council: Determines academic standards and learning outcomes.
- Purview and Exemptions: The Bill covers all Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) except for legal and medical education, which remain under separate Acts.
- Separation of Funding: In a major shift, the Commission and its Councils will have no power to allocate grants; funding authority is moved directly to the Ministry.
- Composition: The Commission features a Chairperson (honorary) and 12 members, while each Council has a President and up to 14 members, primarily eminent experts and government nominees.
- Penalties: The Regulatory Council can impose fines between ₹10 lakh and ₹70 lakh for violations and can even order the closure of an HEI.
- Adjudicatory Mechanism: Appeals against the Commission’s decisions lie directly with the Central Government.
