Higher Education and Research Bill, 2011

          Higher Education in India  has to rise up to the occasion - for building a strong,  prosperous and progressive India , if the nation has to survive in the modern day world of globalization, which demands cutting edge scientific research, creation of skilled man power and efficient managers. With this and other similar objectives, the department of Human Resources has come up with a pioneering bill -"Higher Education and Research Bill 2011". Also the rapid and uncontrolled growth in the higher education sector has prompted the government to govern it in an efficient way to meet the modern day challenge.

            The bill intends to create an all encompassing body which will promote and govern areas of technical, professional and medical education. At present these areas are governed by a multiplicity of bodies such as the university grants Commission (UGC), all India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), National Council for Technical etc. The presence of these has led to fragmentation of knowledge and multiplicity of views on matters of standards and promotion of higher education. This has prevented the circulation of ideas across disciplines and compartmentalized education   sector. This has necessitated the adoption of a holistic view of higher education which underscores the convergence of disciplines and the opportunities of knowledge creation at the cross-roads of disciplines.  The bill proposes to wind up the above mentioned bodies and replace them by the creation of National Commission for Higher Education and Research (NCHER). It seeks to promote autonomy of higher educational institutions and universities for free pursuit of knowledge and innovation to provide for a comprehensive and integrated growth of higher education and research keeping in view the global standards of educational and research practices and to facilitate determination, coordination, maintenance and continued enhancement of standards of higher education and research including university education, vocational, technical, professional and medical education other than agriculture education.     

            The NCHER shall consist of a chair person and six other members.  The commission will be advised by a General Council which will comprise besides the regular members, representatives of state Higher Education Council, heads of each professional body and research council, on director of each IIT and IIM and National Law Universities.  In addition to these NCHER, will be advised also by a collegium of schools.  In order to maintain the autonomy and financial viability of the commission a higher education financial services corporation will be created set up.   

            The discussion on the 'Bill' will deliberate on the composition and functions of the 'National Commission' in order to find out how the above mentioned objectives will be met.  Moreover, the discussion will also tend to focus on its short comings and analyze the claims of its detractors who brands the 'Bill' as an instrument to cater to the needs of the emergent higher education market, which tends to jeopardize the societal need of a developing nation: the universalization of education.