IIT, IIM, NIT, IISER to be regulated by Higher Education Commission of India says, report

The Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), a proposed single higher education regulator, may soon oversee prominent Indian institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), National Institutes of Technology (NIT), Indian Institutes of Scientific Education and Research (IISER), and other Institutes of National Importance (INIs). The central government intends to bring these institutions under HECI as per the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The Higher Education Council of India Bill was introduced by the NDA government in 2018 but was finalised with the implementation of NEP 2020, according to a report from the Indian Express.

Currently, central universities and INIs in India operate under their own acts of parliament, independent of the University Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education. While central universities require approval from the UGC for budgets and grants, INIs such as IIT, IIM and NIT directly engage with the ministry for funding, the report said. 

There are presently 160 INIs operating in India, encompassing various branches of All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), IIT, IIM, NIT, and IISER. These INIs conduct their own exams, provide degrees, receive government funding, and are managed by their respective boards of governors. If the government decides to merge all INIs under the HECI, there is expected to be opposition from IIM, which seeks to safeguard its autonomy, particularly in the wake of the passage of the IIM Act in 2017. The ministry of education is currently considering the authority and provisions of the Higher Education Commission of India, the report mentioned.

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