Union Minister of Education and Skill Development, Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan today released the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2023 in the presence of Prof. Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman, UGC and Mr. Sanjay Murthy, Secretary (Higher Education), Ministry of Education.
Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said that UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations, 2023, will facilitate creation of many more quality-focused deemed to be universities in an objective and transparent manner. The new simplified guidelines will encourage universities to focus on quality & excellence, strengthen the research ecosystem and have a long-term impact in transforming our higher education landscape. The Minister complimented UGC for this timely reform aligned with the National Education Policy 2020.
The UGC Act 1956 provides for Central Government to declare any institution other than a University to a status of Institution Deemed to be University as if it were a university within the meaning of Section 2(f). Upon declaration, such institution shall be deemed to be a university. The procedure for the declaration of status (General) & De Novo, the establishment of off-campus centre, minimum eligibility to acquire the status, its governance, etc. are regulated by UGC Regulations. The first set of Regulations was notified in the year 2010, which was revised in 2016 and 2019.
With the announcement of the National Education Policy 2020 and in order to make the Regulations simple the UGC constituted an expert committee to review and revise the Regulations.
The draft Regulations passed through several stages in the process of finalization. The expert committee’s guidance, public feedback, and suggestions of the Commission are all taken into consideration before sending the final draft Regulations to the Ministry of Education for concurrence.
Superseding the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations 2019, the new Regulations are built on the principle of a “light but tight” regulatory framework envisioned in the National Education Policy 2020.