Parliamentary Panel Chief Calls for Detailed Scrutiny of Education Reform Bill
Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh has formally requested that the proposed Higher Education Commission of India Bill be examined by a parliamentary committee before it undergoes full parliamentary debate. In a letter addressed to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday, Singh emphasized the need for thorough legislative scrutiny of this significant education reform.
Bill Aims to Transform India's Higher Education Landscape
According to the Lok Sabha bulletin released last week, the Higher Education Commission of India Bill 2025 is scheduled for introduction during the upcoming Winter Session. This landmark legislation aligns with the National Education Policy 2020 and seeks to establish a single regulatory authority for higher education by merging three existing bodies: the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
Singh, who chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports, stressed the bill's transformative nature in his communication. "Given that this is a significant legislation which majorly rewrites the existing Education Governance Architecture of this country, I believe it is critical that it be examined and discussed by the Parliamentary Standing Committee before it is taken up by the Parliament as a whole," he wrote.
Proposed Timeline and State Representation Concerns
The parliamentary committee head has suggested a specific deadline for the review process, proposing that the bill be referred to the committee with a "deadline of the end of the first phase of the Budget session." This timeline would allow for comprehensive examination while maintaining legislative momentum.
This request for detailed scrutiny follows concerns raised by the standing committee in a report presented to Parliament earlier this year. The committee had observed that State Universities, which educate over 90% of India's student population, often face challenges navigating between national and state-level regulations. The report specifically noted that the draft Higher Education Commission of India Bill appears to maintain similar issues by proposing a Central Government-heavy composition with insufficient state representation.
The proposed legislation represents one of the most significant overhauls of India's higher education system in decades, aiming to streamline regulatory processes while addressing longstanding structural challenges in the education sector.
