Last Updated:
Education Ministry stated that NCERT would now be a deemed to be a university, granting it the power to offer courses and to confer degrees in its own name.
To ensure quality and accountability, the Ministry directed NCERT to seek accreditation on multiple fronts. (Image: ncert.nic.in)
The Education Ministry has announced that National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will now function as an institution deemed to be a university, giving it the authority to design and run courses and programmes and to award degrees in its own name, reported The Hindu.
This move builds on an important approval granted earlier in the year. In January, the University Grants Commission (UGC) accepted an expert committee’s recommendation to accord NCERT – the country’s apex body for school education – the status of a deemed university. The Ministry has issued a formal notification extending the deemed university status not only to NCERT but also to its six regional institutes.
The new status, however, comes with specific conditions. NCERT has been clearly prohibited from undertaking any “commercial” or “profit-making” activities. All academic courses and programmes it offers must comply with the standards and regulations framed by the UGC and other relevant statutory authorities or councils. Thus, its enhanced autonomy as a university is to be exercised within the boundaries of national regulatory norms.
The notification also outlined a roadmap for NCERT’s academic expansion. Any introduction of new programmes, as well as the setting up of off-campus or offshore centres, must adhere to UGC guidelines issued periodically. The Ministry asked NCERT to “take appropriate steps” to start research programmes, doctoral courses, and “innovative academic programmes”, indicating an expectation that it will evolve into a strong centre for higher education and educational research.
To uphold standards and transparency, the Ministry instructed NCERT to obtain accreditation on several levels. Its academic programmes and courses are to be assessed by the National Board of Accreditation, while the institution itself must seek accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Additionally, the government mandated NCERT’s participation in the annual institutional rankings under the National Institutional Ranking Framework.
Aligned with ongoing digital and credit-based reforms, NCERT was further directed to “compulsorily” create Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) identities for all its students. Their credit scores must be stored in digital lockers so that they are reflected on the ABC portal, thereby integrating NCERT into the national ecosystem of flexible and transferable academic credits.
In 2023, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan noted that the aspiration for deemed-to-be-university status had been a long-standing goal within NCERT. He emphasised that NCERT is already deeply involved in designing curricula for early childhood care and education, school education, adult education, and teacher education.
April 03, 2026, 09:42 IST
Read More
Source link
[ad_3]
