| New Delhi: The government will reform the regulatory bodies governing higher education keeping in mind the challenges and needs of the future, human resources development (HRD) minister Smriti Irani said on Thursday. “I am happy to share with you, be it the UGC (University Grants Commission), the AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education), or the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE)... We have undertaken a review of most of our regulatory bodies where we can design a path forward which is not only holistic in nature, but also takes into cognisance the needs of the future,” Irani said. Addressing the Ficci Higher Education Summit, Irani said, she wants to “redefine India’s destiny” through reforms in the education sector. Her comments came in the backdrop of her ministry setting up separate committees to review the functioning of UGC, AICTE and NCTE. “There are many who see education in India as a challenge. I look upon it as an opportunity to redefine India’s destiny. There have been many comments...many people expressing their anguish about the need for reform. I am happy to share with you that just in last six months...(we have) put forth many initiatives to see how reform can be brought in the functioning of regulators,” she said in the presence of dignitaries including South Carolina governor Nikki Randhawa Haley and UK minister of state for universities Greg Clark. Her ministry has set up a panel to restructure UGC, thus putting in motion an initiative to go for an overhaul in the higher education sector. The AICTE restructuring committee will also look into revamping grant distribution for timely utilization of funds and measures for enhancing quality research in technical education.
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