HECI Bill 2025 set for Parliament winter session; govt moves to replace UGC, AICTE, NCTE

New Delhi: The central government is preparing to introduce the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill 2025, during the upcoming winter session of Parliament scheduled from December 1 to December 19. The Bill aims to replace India’s major higher education regulators which include the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) with one unified body.

The HECI Bill is listed among ten Bills that are likely to be introduced, considered and passed during the session. If approved the Bill will create a single commission to regulate higher education standards and streamline the functioning of institutions across the country.

The proposed Higher Education Commission of India will serve as the main regulator for higher education, research, scientific studies and technical institutions. The move is aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which recommends restructuring the existing system to ensure better coordination, transparency and efficiency.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha earlier this year, the Ministry of Education said that HECI will be built around four major functions which include regulation, accreditation, funding and academic standard-setting. The ministry also confirmed that the drafting process for the Bill has been underway.

Once established, HECI will absorb the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) ending the current system of separate regulators for different streams.

The idea of a single higher education regulator first surfaced in 2018 through a draft Bill aimed at repealing the UGC Act. The proposal gained momentum in 2021 after Dharmendra Pradhan became the Union Education Minister and began reviewing the roadmap for setting up HECI in line with NEP recommendations.

Over the years, the government has been working on shaping the framework for HECI. Former AICTE member secretary Rajive Kumar said that three committees are currently working on different aspects of the new regulator.

'I have been entrusted with some responsibility for the formation of HECI,' he said, adding that another committee headed by Radhakrishnan is focused on synchronising data across UGC, AICTE and NCTE. A third committee is looking into integrating professional bodies.

Nearly seven years after the idea was first proposed, the listing of the HECI Bill for the winter session suggests that the government is ready to move forward with major reforms in the higher education sector. If introduced and approved, the Bill will pave the way for a unified regulatory structure aimed at improving quality, coordination, and governance across India’s higher education landscape.