AISEC slams proposed HECI Bill, calls it blueprint for centralisation of higher education

By A Representative

The All India Save Education Committee (AISEC) has strongly criticised the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill 2025, which the Union government is expected to table in the upcoming winter session of Parliament. In a statement issued by Prof. Tarun Kanti Naskar, General Secretary of AISEC, the organisation warned that the proposed legislation would severely compromise the autonomy of higher educational institutions across the country.

According to the statement, the Bill seeks to merge the functions of three key statutory bodies—the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE)—into a single overarching commission. Unlike the UGC, which has the authority to disburse funds to higher education institutions (HEIs), the new body would be limited to regulation, accreditation and setting professional standards. This, AISEC argues, would turn the Commission into a “controlling authority” rather than an enabling one.

Prof. Naskar said the proposed structure of the Commission reveals deeper concerns. The Chairperson would be selected by a committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary and comprising senior bureaucrats and government-appointed academics, making the body “fully bureaucratic” and subject to central government influence. While the Bill claims to promote institutional autonomy, it also seeks to monitor academic performance and authorises the closure of institutions deemed to fall short of minimum standards — provisions AISEC says directly undermine academic freedom.

The organisation warned that such powers could lead to widespread closure of institutions, mirroring what it described as the ongoing shutdown of schools in various states. It termed the Bill “a blueprint for centralisation and complete control over higher education”.

AISEC also pointed to several regulations already introduced by the UGC under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 — including the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP), National Credit Framework and various qualification frameworks — which it said were adopted without adequate consultation with stakeholders. These measures, the statement noted, have faced stiff resistance from leading educationists, university bodies and academic councils.

In this backdrop, AISEC said the HECI Bill would give the Centre “unfettered powers” to enforce NEP 2020 and push what it described as an agenda of “privatisation, commercialisation, communalisation and centralisation” of higher education. Universities, autonomous colleges and affiliated institutions, it cautioned, would have no option but to comply with directives issued by an all-powerful Commission.

AISEC has urged the Government of India to withdraw the proposed Bill and called upon the academic community nationwide to unite in opposition.

Comments

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge — Blurring the line between fiction and political narrative

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" does not wait to be remembered; it arrives almost on the heels of its predecessor, released on March 19, 2026, just months after the first film’s December 2025 debut. The speed of its arrival feels less like creative urgency and more like calculated timing—cinema responding not to storytelling rhythm but to the emotional climate of its audience. Director Aditya Dhar, along with actor Yami Gautam, appears acutely aware of this moment and how to harness it.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

BJP accounts for 99% of political donations in Gujarat: Corporate giants dominate

By Jag Jivan An analysis of the official data on donations received by national parties from Gujarat during the Financial Year 2024-25 reveals a staggering concentration of funding, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for nearly the entirety of the contributions. The data, compiled in a document titled "National Parties donations received from Gujarat during FY-2024-25," lists thousands of transactions, painting a detailed picture of the financial backing for political parties from one of India’s most industrially significant states.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor* Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”

Search This Blog