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

Whither space for the marginalised in Kerala's privately-driven townships after landslides?

By Ipshita Basu, Sudheesh R.C. In the early hours of July 30 2024, a landslide in the Wayanad district of Kerala state, India, killed 400 people. The Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Vellarimala and Chooralmala villages in the Western Ghats mountain range turned into a dystopian rubble of uprooted trees and debris.

From algorithms to exploitation: New report exposes plight of India's gig workers

By Jag Jivan The recent report, "State of Finance in India Report 2024-25," released by a coalition including the Centre for Financial Accountability, Focus on the Global South, and other organizations, paints a stark picture of India's burgeoning digital economy, particularly highlighting the exploitation faced by gig workers on platform-based services.

Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.

'Condonation of war crimes against women and children’: IPSN on Trump’s Gaza Board

By A Representative The India-Palestine Solidarity Network (IPSN) has strongly condemned the announcement of a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza and Palestine by former US President Donald J. Trump, calling it an initiative that “condones war crimes against children and women” and “rubs salt in Palestinian wounds.”

India’s road to sustainability: Why alternative fuels matter beyond electric vehicles

By Suyash Gupta* India’s worsening air quality makes the shift towards clean mobility urgent. However, while electric vehicles (EVs) are central to India’s strategy, they alone cannot address the country’s diverse pollution and energy challenges.

With infant mortality rate of 5, better than US, guarantee to live is 'alive' in Kerala

By Nabil Abdul Majeed, Nitheesh Narayanan In 1945, two years prior to India's independence, the current Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, was born into a working-class family in northern Kerala. He was his mother’s fourteenth child; of the thirteen siblings born before him, only two survived. His mother was an agricultural labourer and his father a toddy tapper. They belonged to a downtrodden caste, deemed untouchable under the Indian caste system.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

Over 40% of gig workers earn below ₹15,000 a month: Economic Survey

By A Representative The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, while reviewing the Economic Survey in Parliament on Tuesday, highlighted the rapid growth of gig and platform workers in India. According to the Survey, the number of gig workers has increased from 7.7 million to around 12 million, marking a growth of about 55 percent. Their share in the overall workforce is projected to rise from 2 percent to 6.7 percent, with gig workers expected to contribute approximately ₹2.35 lakh crore to the GDP by 2030. The Survey also noted that over 40 percent of gig workers earn less than ₹15,000 per month.

Search This Blog