Centralized Higher Education Bill Sparks Debate in Lok Sabha: What You Need to Know

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A contentious bill aimed at overhauling India's higher education system has been introduced in the Lok Sabha, sparking intense debate among opposition parties. The 'Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025' seeks to establish a single regulator, the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan, to oversee and standardize higher education institutions across the country. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the bill, citing its potential to promote excellence, autonomy, and transparency in higher education. However, opposition MPs quickly raised concerns about the bill's implications, including the potential for excessive centralization, erosion of state government powers, and the imposition of Hindi. Critics argue that the bill's 'sanskritized' nomenclature is an attempt to impose Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states. They also point to the bill's provisions allowing the Centre to supersede institutions established under state laws, which they claim raises concerns about arbitrariness and legal uncertainty. The proposed regulator, Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan, will consist of three councils: Regulatory, Accreditation, and Standards. The bill proposes a 12-member commission, with members appointed by the Centre, to oversee the regulator. Institutions found violating the bill's provisions may face fines ranging from ₹10 lakh to ₹30 lakh, and repeated offenses could attract penalties of at least ₹75 lakh or suspension. The government has proposed referring the bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for further deliberations. The bill has been approved by the cabinet and aims to replace existing regulatory bodies, including the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).