The central government is set to introduce the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill 2025 in the upcoming Winter Session of the Parliament.

Key Features of the HECI Bill 2025

• Single Unified Regulator: 
  • Unified Body: The Bill establishes the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) as a single national regulator responsible for regulation, accreditation, academic standards, and funding.
  • Institutional Merger: HECI will subsume the functions of the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to eliminate administrative layering and streamline governance.
• Long-Term Vision
  • Improved Outcomes: The Bill aims to empower institutions, reduce delays, improve quality benchmarks, and create an integrated national framework for higher education governance.
  • Governance Reform: The Bill seeks to strengthen accountability by creating clear lines of responsibility across all higher education bodies.
• Four-Vertical Structure (as recommended by NEP 2020):
  • National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC): NHERC will ensure compliance, supervision, and regulatory standards across higher education institutions, excluding the medical and legal sectors.
  • National Accreditation Council (NAC): NAC will manage accreditation, quality assessments, and institutional ratings to ensure transparent and uniform benchmarks.
  • General Education Council (GEC): It will define learning outcomes, curricular frameworks, and academic standards for general and professional education.
  • Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC): To oversee grants and resource allocation, although funding decisions will continue to be linked to government policies.
• Governance: Each vertical will function as an autonomous professional body headed by domain experts to ensure specialised and evidence-based regulation.
• NEP 2020 Alignment: Implements NEP’s separation of core functions such as Regulation, Accreditation, Funding and Academic standard-setting.

Why Higher Education Reform is Needed ?

• Regulatory Overlaps: Existing regulators operate in silos, creating confusion and administrative burden for institutions.
• Quality Deficits: Many institutions lack quality accreditation, global competitiveness, and research capacity.
• Student Outcomes: Graduates often lack employability skills due to inconsistent academic standards and outdated curricula.
• Global Competitiveness: India needs a modern regulatory framework to compete globally and improve participation in international education networks.

Check Out UPSC CSE Books

Visit PW Store

Expected Benefits of HECI

• Reduced Red Tape: It aims to eliminate administrative overlaps and streamline decision-making.
• Strengthened Accountability: A unified regulator will ensure clearer lines of responsibility across institutions.
• Higher Standards: Promotes excellence through uniform accreditation mechanisms and improved quality benchmarks.
• Institutional Empowerment: Seeks to create self-governing institutions with greater autonomy under a transparent framework.

DOWNLOAD PDF