Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has formally opposed the proposed Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhiniyam Bill, 2025, citing concerns that it could make higher education more expensive, centralise decision-making, and weaken states' ability to address local educational needs.
In a letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Mann urged the Centre to reconsider the bill and hold wider consultations before implementing reforms that could significantly alter the higher education landscape.
Concerns over affordability and centralisation
Stating that crores of parents pin their hopes and dreams on their children's education, Mann said higher education must remain a pathway of opportunity for the children of farmers, labourers and small shopkeepers, and not become a burden on families. "India's progress depends on making higher education more accessible, affordable and inclusive through greater investment in universities, infrastructure, faculty and research, rather than measures that could increase costs and centralise decision-making," he said.
Mann said he was writing not merely as Punjab's chief minister but as a representative of crores of parents across the country whose biggest aspirations were linked to their children's education. "Education is not merely an administrative subject; it is a question concerning India's bright future," he said.
Impact on states and local needs
The chief minister said he had initially hoped the proposed legislation would strengthen the quality, accountability and global competitiveness of higher educational institutions. However, after studying the bill, he had serious concerns that it sought to centralise key decisions relating to higher education, with far-reaching consequences for students, teachers, universities and state governments.
"Every state is grappling with different challenges. Some are dealing with unemployment, others with skill development needs, industrial requirements or migration of talent. Border states like Punjab face even more complex realities," he said.
Mann argued that if most educational decisions were taken by institutions in Delhi, states would gradually lose their ability to understand local realities and design solutions accordingly, making higher education increasingly centralised and less relevant to local needs.
Questions over central institutions
Referring to central institutions such as the National Testing Agency, Mann said recent years had raised serious questions about examination management, transparency and credibility. "When central institutions themselves are struggling with such challenges, it is legitimate to ask whether further centralisation of higher education is really the right direction," he said.
Expressing concern that the legislation could raise the cost of higher education, Mann urged the Centre to withdraw the bill and replace it with a framework that makes education more accessible, affordable, high-quality and responsive to the needs of states.
