Apex education regulator HECI likely to be set up in 2021; NRF outlay at Rs 50,000 crore

Centre proposes to set up the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) – subsuming the University Grants Commission and All India Council for Technical Education – later this year.

HECI will be the new apex regulator for university and higher education in India and tasked with setting benchmarks for academic performance, ensuring that institutions adhere to these and act against those that violate standards.

“We would be introducing legislation this year to implement the same. It will be an umbrella body having four separate vehicles for standard-setting, accreditation, regulation, and funding,” Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman said.

The minister also announced an outlay of Rs 50,000 crore over five years for the National Research Foundation to strengthen the research ecosystem with a focus on identified national priority thrust areas.

She also announced that more than 15,000 schools will be 'qualitatively strengthened' as the government sets out to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) to enable them to emerge as exemplar schools in their regions, handhold and mentor other schools to achieve the ideals policy.

In a bid to achieve greater synergy in various centrally-funded institutes, universities and colleges, the government also proposed to set up umbrella structures for better coordination.

She noted that Hyderabad alone was home to 40 major centrally-funded institutions.

“In nine such cities, we will create formal umbrella structures so that these institutes can have better synergy, while also retaining their autonomy. A glue grant will be set aside for this purpose,” the minister said.

The minister announced an increase in the blanket exemption in annual receipts for charitable trusts running educational institutions from Rs one crore to Rs five crore.

“We hope to reduce the compliance burden on small charitable trusts running educational institutions and hospitals. So far, there is a blanket exemption to such entities, whose annual receipt does not exceed Rs one crore. I now propose to increase this amount to Rs five crore,” she said.