Question : REVIEW OF FUNCTIONING OF UGC

(a) whether the Expert Committee, set up to review the functioning of the University Grants Commission (UGC), has submitted its report to the Government;

(b) if so, the details of the major recommendations made by it;

(c) whether the Government has examined and accepted the said recommendations and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(d) whether the Government is considering to set up a new regulatory body/National Higher Education Commission in place of UGC on the basis of the recommendations made by the Committee; and

(e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a)& (b): Yes, Madam. The University Grants Commission (UGC) Review Committee, headed by Dr. Hari Gautam has submitted its report. The Committee has recommended that instead of undertaking amendments in the UGC Act, 1956, the ‘National Higher Education Authority’ Act be set up to repeal the existing UGC Act, 1956. The Committee has further recommended that the National Higher Education Authority be in vested with powers to reward and punish the quality or its absence as the case may be in higher educational institutions including the power to derecognize and/or debar the erring institutions from functioning. The Authority is recommended \o have three Boards to independently look after various functions of Authority in coordination with each other, namely: `Regulatory Board’ to look after academics, research and the Regulatory Functions; ‘Funding Board’ to evolve the norms and parameters for allocation and be responsible for disbursement of grants including their effective utilization; and ‘Higher Education Councils’ Coordination Board’ to coordinate activities of different councils of Higher Education.

The Committee has also recommended to revamp and remodel the UGC into a changed organization, through executive orders, till enactment of the new Act.

(c)to (e): The Committee was constituted to recommend restructuring and strengthening of the UGC for attaining even better performance to meet the desired objective. The mandate given to the Committee was to analyse, review and recommend to the Ministry, the architecture required, and the Ministry has to take a view after going through it threadbare. The report is being examined, in its entirety, in the Ministry.