The Higher Education Commission of India Bill 2025 will be introduced in Parliament during the winter session starting December 1. The Bill proposes a single regulatory body that will take over the roles of the University Grants Commission, the All India Council for Technical Education, and the National Council for Teacher Education. The new body will handle regulation, accreditation, funding, and setting academic standards for higher education in India.
The move supports the goals of the National Education Policy 2020, which calls for one structured and coordinated system for higher education. The Bill is listed among ten key legislations planned for discussion in the session scheduled to continue until December 19.
The Ministry of Education stated in a written reply in the Lok Sabha that the new system will help create a more efficient and updated governance model. Work on the plan began in 2018 and has continued through multiple stages of drafting and review.
UGC currently manages non technical higher education, AICTE oversees technical education, and NCTE regulates teacher education. By bringing all three under one authority, the government aims to make the framework simpler and more transparent.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has led efforts to move the Bill forward since 2021. The Ministry has formed three committees to support the transition. One committee is coordinating the formation of the new structure. Another is examining the process of combining datasets of the three existing bodies. A third committee is working on integrating professional councils into the new arrangement.
Once implemented, the HECI Bill is expected to address challenges caused by separate regulatory systems and make processes more consistent for universities and colleges. The new structure aims to improve oversight, ensure accountability, and support better standards in higher education.
