A Single Higher Education Commission With A Common Entrance Test For All Universities Coming Up In 2021 – The Second Angle

A top government official said on Friday that the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) will be set up next academic session in 2021. It intends to replace autonomous bodies like the University Grants Commission (UGC) and AICTE.

The National Education Policy 2020 recommended setting up of the Higher Education Commission of India as a single comprehensive body for higher education, leaving out medical and legal education.

At a virtual conference organized by FICCI, Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare said, “You will see some of the major changes in 2021 itself. If I could list out, for example, the common admission test for entrance to all central universities that are coming in 2021, the Academic Bank of Credit through which one can transfer credits from one university to another, that is also 2021.”

Mr Khare talked about the regulatory changes planned for the next year, which includes the merger of bodies like UGC, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).

“And in the next academic session, we will be having one single Higher Education Commission of India,” he said.

At the conference, Mr Khare also talked about the National Research Fund, mentioned in the National Education Policy which aims at promoting research in the country.

“All universities, be it private, state, or Central, they can have competitive funding. It’s like the National Science Foundation of the USA. Some addition that we have added, social science also will be the part of the National Research Fund,” he said.