VBSA Bill a ‘solution’ to current challenges, ‘catalyst’ for growth: UGC tells joint panel of Parliament
The University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) presented before a joint Parliamentary panel on Thursday, March 12, 2026, that the newly introduced Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 is the “solution” to the current challenges of India’s higher education regulatory framework. They added that the bodies had largely “accepted and agreed” with the provisions of the Bill, which amounted to an “enhancement” of their functions in their current form. Hindu has learned.
The VBSA Bill, introduced by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in December 2025, aims to replace the UGC, AICTE and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) with a 12-member umbrella Commission. Viksit Bharat Shiksha AdhishthanThree separate councils will operate for regulation, accreditation and standard setting.
Objections to the bill were submitted by Opposition parties, arguing that it represented “excessive power of the executive”; subjected higher education institutions to “pervasive administrative control, gradual autonomy, intrusive compliance requirements, severe penalties, and powers of closure”; and acted contrary to the principles of federalism.
The government proposed that the bill be sent to the Parliamentary Joint Committee, which was formed in February this year.
On Thursday, March 12, 2026, the Committee, chaired by BJP MP D Purandeshwari, met for its second and third sessions and interacted with representatives of UGC, AICTE and NCTE during this session.
During these sessions, the panel also interacted with representatives of the Architecture Council.
Draft law redesigning higher education regulation
Involvement of the Architecture Council
NCTE’s submissions to the Parliamentary Joint Committee included proposals to identify sections and provisions of the proposed legislation that might allow higher education institutions to appeal decisions of Regulatory, Standards or Accreditation Councils.
Meanwhile, the Architecture Council, which has been given special facilities in the Bill, has described the bill as a “major initiative” and wants a CoA representative to sit on the VBSA umbrella Commission and the Regulatory Council under it, sources said.
However, the CoA also recommended some amendments to the Architects Act 1972 and the Minimum Standards of Architectural Education Regulations (2025) to ensure “synergy” between the VBSA Bill and the Architects Act.
The UGC told the joint panel that India’s higher education regulatory framework is generally “non-uniform and multi-window”, arguing that this affects “mutual recognition, quality and credit transfer”, adding that the current system does not promote “holistic interdisciplinary education”, which affects innovation and entrepreneurship. Sources aware of the developments also stated that the proposed bill will help eliminate conflicts of interest and reduce the compliance burden on higher education institutions.
VBSA is a ‘catalyst’
The UGC also described the provisions of the VBSA Bill as a “catalyst” for growth, helping achieve the National Education Policy 2020 targets, helping India become a “global knowledge superpower” and achieving the target of 50% Gross Enrollment Ratio by 2035, sources said.
Regarding the parts of the bill that specify the repeal of the Acts establishing the UGC, AICTE and NCTE and specify the mode of transition to VBSA architecture, both the UGC and AICTE said these provisions are clear and will allow for an “effective” transition.
The meetings of the joint panel on Thursday, March 12, 2026 were held with the participation of officials from both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Law, according to the meeting agenda announced to the public. An important point is that the UGC has no permanent appointment to the post of Chairman, which is currently held by Higher Education Secretary Vineet Joshi with additional charge.
At the committee’s first session on February 26, the government briefed members on the outline of the higher education regulatory framework proposed under the VBSA Bill and also stated that the introduction of this legislation stemmed from recommendations made in NEP 2020. The Ministry of Education had told the joint panel that NEP2020 was prepared after one of its broadest consultation processes and added that the Bill itself was circulated among 39 Central Ministries and Departments for consultation.
When asked whether the VBSA Bill, 2025 has been circulated among State governments, government officials said, “The States have been consulted,” without revealing which arms of the States were consulted, when or how many times.
It was published – 13 March 2026 05:03 IST
