Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill 2025:
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Lok Sabha in the Winter Session of Parliament and referred to a joint parliamentary committee.
- The Bill aims to revamp India’s higher education regulation to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
- It is a proposed new law to create a unified regulatory architecture for higher education in India, framed under Entry 66 (determination of standards for higher education) of the Union List of the Constitution.
- Its core purpose is to empower Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to achieve excellence through effective coordination and the determination of standards.
- Need of the Bill: To overhaul the higher education regulatory framework in line with NEP 2020 by eliminating overlapping authorities, simplifying regulation, and reducing compliance burdens so institutions can focus on academic excellence.
- Proposed Major Changes:
- The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan will be set up as the overarching authority. The Council of Architecture (CoA) will function as a Professional Standard Setting Body (PSSB), as envisaged in NEP 2020.
- Creates Three Specialized Councils:
- Viksit Bharat Shiksha Viniyaman Parishad: The Regulatory Council for coordination and maintenance of standards.
- Viksit Bharat Shiksha Gunvatta Parishad: The independent Accreditation Council.
- Viksit Bharat Shiksha Manak Parishad: The Standards Council for specifying minimum academic standards.
- The Bill provides for repealing the acts governing the University Grants Commission (UGC, 1956), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE, 1987), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE, 1993).
- All HEIs currently under these bodies will come under the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan for standard-setting.
