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NCERT Structural Reform: The National Council of Educational Research and Training will soon be stepping into a new role. Long associated with textbooks and school curriculum, NCERT is now granted deemed-to-be-university according to the Ministry of Education. The initial processes for this transition have been completed and the final approval is now awaited.
According to the Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, the proposal is not new. In 2023, he announced a plan to convert NCERT into a research-focus institution that can collaborate with foreign universities to enhance the international education system.
NCERT Structural Reform: What Are The Changes?
Once granted the status, NCERT will work as a full-fledged research institution, allowing it to initiate in-house advanced research projects and enter into higher education and doctoral training. For the first time NCERT will confer its own degree after becoming a deemed university.
Additionally, funding is expected to continue primarily from the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry. This will ensure that with expanded authority, NCERT will remain deep-rooted with its core school-level education.
What Deemed University Means?
A deemed university in India is granted an autonomous university status by the Department of Higher Education on the advice of the University Grants Commission (UGC). Under the UGC Act, 1965, these institutions enjoy academic autonomy, allowing them to design their own curricula, set fees, and conduct independent examinations.
As per the official UGC website, there are around 145 deemed universities, with the The Indian Institute of Science, being the first one. It was granted the status in 1958, while Tamil Nadu currently has the highest number of such institutions.
NCERT Structural Reform: What’s Next?
The final decision is still pending with the UGC and the GoI’s approval. If granted the status, the NCERT will work as a deemed university, operating with significant autonomy within India’s higher education system.
From shaping the education system, the transition will allow NCERT to award its own graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral degrees, shifting its role from solely curriculum design to higher education and in-house research.