Centre concedes to States’ demands on Higher Education Bill
In response to the Andhra Pradesh government’s concerns over “centralisation” of powers in the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill 2025, the Union Education Ministry has
In response to the Andhra Pradesh government’s concerns over “centralisation” of powers in the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill 2025, the Union Education Ministry has agreed to several changes, including adding a provision requiring the proposed Regulatory Council to get the State government’s clearance before making any key decisions about colleges affiliated to the State universities. The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) reviewing the Bill has recorded the Centre’s views in its draft report. The panel is scheduled to meet on Monday (July 20, 2026), when the report will be discussed. The committee has also recommended that one of the two contentious provisions—clause 47, which gives the Centre superseding powers over the regulatory framework—needs to be revised in its entirety. The Andhra Pradesh government, in its submission to the committee, termed Clause 11(4) the “single most significant structural change” to the affiliating university model. The clause would allow the Regulatory Council to bypass State universities in deciding if colleges affiliated with them can or cannot award degrees. The State government had sought mandatory concurrence before any such decision affecting colleges affiliated to State universities.
During deliberations on the clause, the Union Education Ministry proposed an amendment stating that “if a higher educational institution is substantially funded by any State Government, it can be authorised to grant degrees by this regulatory council only after obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the State government concerned.” The panel went a step further, recommending that the Regulatory Council obtain an NOC from the State government concerned before taking any such decision. The Ministry also accepted the NPP-led Meghalaya government’s suggestion to include a provision in Clause 12 allowing State universities to establish constituent colleges, off-campus centres, and multiple campuses as per the State laws under which they were set up. The Meghalaya government had suggested that requiring all Universities, including State universities, to obtain the Regulatory Council’s approval for setting up new colleges as per Clause 12 would go against the stated objective of promoting institutional autonomy and lead to duplication, procedural delays, and administrative inefficiencies. The panel has also recommended a “comprehensive review” of Clause 47, which empowers the Central Government to suspend or supersede the apex regulatory commission and three councils—accreditation, regulatory and standards.
The BriefWire