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New Delhi, July 11 (APAC Media): The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025 proposes a structural overhaul of India’s higher education system by replacing the UGC, AICTE, and NCTE with a single central regulator. The controversy surrounding the Bill centres on concerns over excessive centralisation, reduced role for state governments, and the potential impact on university autonomy.
The key points of the controversy include:
- Centralisation of power: Critics, including both Opposition-ruled and NDA-ruled states, argue that the VBSA Bill centralises decision-making in New Delhi. State representation in the proposed 14-member councils is limited to a single rotational nominee.
- Overriding authority: Certain provisions in the draft legislation give the Union Government the final authority in policy disputes and the power to supersede or suspend the regulatory commissions in specific circumstances.
- Changes to funding mechanisms: The proposed framework separates regulatory functions from grant disbursement. While the move is intended to avoid conflicts of interest, teacher and student unions have expressed concern that transferring funding powers to the Ministry of Education could affect academic autonomy.
- Institutes of National Importance: Premier institutions, including the IITs and IIMs, have sought explicit exemptions from the proposed regulatory and penalty framework to preserve their institutional autonomy.
- Concerns over federalism: As education is a subject under the Concurrent List of the Constitution, several states argue that the Bill encroaches upon the Centre–State balance of legislative powers.
Owing to widespread opposition, the Bill is currently under review by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
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