NCERT approaches UGC for ‘deemed university’ status

Subject: Education

With the government’s proposal of making the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) an “institute of national importance” on the back burner, the NCERT is now vying for another tag — deemed to be university.
The UGC is the academic authority for higher education whereas NCERT is the academic authority for school education.

Institute of national importance

Institute of National Importance (INI) is a status that may be conferred on a premier public higher education institution in India by an act of Parliament of India, an institution which “serves as a pivotal player in developing highly skilled personnel within the specified region of the country/state”.
As of July 2021, there are 161 Institutes of National Importance under various Acts of Parliament. These INIs include: 23 IITs, 15 AIIMSs, 20 IIMs, 31 NITs, 25 IIITs, 7 IISERs, 7 NIPERs, 5 NIDs, 3 SPAs, 2 NIFTEMs, 5 Central universities, 4 Medical research institutes, and 14 other specialized institutes.

Benefits of Institute of National Importance

Functional autonomy to enhance efficiency, quality and accountability.
Increased funding.
Have a better quality of education imparted, and improved research facilities.
Faster decision-making capabilities.
Minimal interference from the political executive.
Such institutions might be able to provide more scholarships to the students.
They can also provide more sports facilities, seminars, etc.

NCERT

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organisation set up in 1961by the Government of India to assist and advise the Central and State Governments on policies and programmes for qualitative improvement in school education.
Executive Committee (EC) is the highest decision-making body of NCERT and is chaired by the Education Minister.
The major objectives of NCERT and its constituent units are to:
- undertake, promote and coordinate research in areas related to school education
- prepare and publish model textbooks, supplementary material, newsletters, journals and develops educational kits, multimedia digital materials, etc.
- organize pre-service and in-service training of teachers
- develop and disseminate innovative educational techniques and practices
- collaborate and network with state educational departments, universities, NGOs and other educational institutions
- act as a clearing house for ideas and information in matters related to school education; and act as a nodal agency for achieving the goals of Universalization of Elementary Education.
- In addition, NCERT is an implementation agency for bilateral cultural exchange programmes with other countries in the field of school education.

Deemed University

The status of deemed-to-be-university is awarded in accordance with the Section 3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956.
An Institution of Higher Education, other than universities, working at a very high standard in a specific area of study, can be declared by the Central Government on the advice of the UGC as an Institution ‘deemed-to-be-university’.
Institutions that are ‘deemed-to-be-university’ enjoy academic status and privileges of a university.