UGC, AICTE Merger to be Delayed till 2019
- The merger of AICTE and UGC into HEERA seems difficult before 2019 as the approval of HEERA is still pending.
- HEERA can only be set up if the framework is ready and approved by both the houses in the Parliament.
The proposed merger ofAICTeandUGC, two of the major higher education regulators, will not be introduced in the Parliament any time soon. The merger of the two regulators was proposed by theHRD Ministryfor better functioning and transparency while disbursingeducational grants.
TheCentral Governmentand the HRD Ministry had planned that the AICTE and UGC be merged inHigher Education Empowerment Regulation Agency(HEERA), the newest agency launched by the government with the purpose of relieving the burden from AICTE and UGC.
According to a source closely related with the mater informed that the merger will not be possible before 2019 as it will require establishing ofHEERAbeforehand. In order to set up HEERA, the government will require the approval of both houses ofParliamentand the government still lacks majority in the Rajya Sabha, the source added.
Also Read:UGC, NCTE, AICTE to be Merged into Single Regulator HEERA
Although it is a political matter, this is one of the biggest hurdles in the HRD Ministry. Another setback in setting up HEERA is that theframeworkis still being worked upon and it will take some time before it is ready.
The source also informed that the new agency is likely to have two Vice-Chairpersons and each of them will take up the responsibility of managing the functions of AICTE and UGC respectively.
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The major task of UGC is to accord degrees, grants and to define quality parameters for thehigher education institutes. Whereas, AICTE looks after the quality of education imparted bytechnical institutes.