NCERT to be granted deemed university status: Here is what that changes
NCERT, known for school textbooks, is poised to become a deemed-to-be-university by January's end. This move, supported by the Ministry of Education and awaiting UGC approval, will grant it academic autonomy to award degrees and conduct postgraduate research. The transformation aligns with the National Education Policy, enhancing its role in global academic collaboration and higher education.
The National Council of Educational Research and Training, an institution long associated with school textbooks and curriculum design, may soon step into a different institutional role.
According to sources in the Ministry of Education, NCERT is likely to be granted deemed-to-be-university status by the end of January, ANI reports.The groundwork for the decision has been completed, and the University Grants Commission is expected to take it up in an upcoming meeting. “The preparation has been done. The UGC has to hold a meeting to make a decision. We are hopeful that once the next meeting takes place, the update will come by the end of the month,” a source told ANI.The proposal is not new. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had announced the plan in 2023, describing the move as a way to convert NCERT into a research-focused institution that could engage in global academic collaboration and contribute more actively to the international education ecosystem.What is changing now is the likelihood of formal approval.
What NCERT is today
NCERT is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Education.
Its mandate sits firmly at the school level. It designs national curricula, publishes textbooks used across central and state board schools, conducts educational research and supports teacher training.Despite its influence, NCERT is not a university. It does not award degrees, conduct independent postgraduate programmes or operate as a higher education institution. Its authority flows from policy relevance, not academic accreditation.Deemed university status would alter that structure.
What deemed-to-be-university status means
In India, universities are recognised by the University Grants Commission under the UGC Act, 1956. A deemed-to-be-university is a specific category granted to institutions that demonstrate academic strength in a defined area, on the recommendation of the UGC and with approval from the Central Government.According to the UGC website, there are around 145 institutes with deemed university status.
The Indian Institute of Science was the first to receive it in 1958, while Tamil Nadu currently has the highest number of such institutions.Deemed universities enjoy full academic autonomy. They can design courses, develop curricula, set admission criteria and fix fees. Crucially, they can award their own degrees at the graduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels.This autonomy is the core difference between deemed universities and institutions that operate under affiliating universities.