NCERT Steps Into a New Role: Can India’s Curriculum Giant Become a Degree-Granting Powerhouse?

What happens when the country’s most influential curriculum body begins awarding its own degrees? The transition of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) into a deemed-to-be university marks a significant shift in India’s education landscape—one that could redefine how teachers are trained and how education research evolves.

But the move raises an important question: can NCERT successfully transform from a policy and curriculum institution into a full-fledged academic university—or will operational constraints hold it back?

Declared a deemed university by the Ministry of Education, NCERT can now independently offer diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes. This ends its long-standing dependence on affiliating universities for degree validation and places it directly under the regulatory framework of the University Grants Commission (UGC). The shift aligns closely with the vision of the National Education Policy 2020, which emphasises multidisciplinary, research-driven institutions.

The transition is already visible on the ground. NCERT is rapidly expanding its infrastructure—building hostels, upgrading classrooms and laboratories, and planning a 1,000-seat auditorium to meet UGC norms. At the academic level, it is preparing to launch specialised master’s programmes in areas such as curriculum development, education technology, multilingual education, and assessment. Doctoral programmes are also in the pipeline, with Professor MV Srinivasan overseeing the transformation.

However, becoming a university comes with new responsibilities—and new pressures.

NCERT must now comply with UGC standards, participate in national rankings like NIRF, secure accreditations such as NAAC and NBA, and implement systems like the Academic Bank of Credits. These requirements demand not just administrative overhaul but also sustained academic rigor.

The biggest challenge, however, lies in funding. As a deemed university, NCERT is prohibited from engaging in profit-making activities, yet it is expected to become financially self-sufficient within three years. This creates a delicate balancing act: maintaining affordability—something NCERT is known for through its low-cost textbooks and training programmes—while ensuring quality infrastructure and faculty.

In one scenario, NCERT leverages its autonomy to become a national leader in teacher education and educational research, shaping policy, fostering innovation, and even building global collaborations. In another, financial constraints and regulatory pressures could slow its expansion, limiting its ability to compete with established universities and potentially pushing it back toward its traditional role.

The outcome will depend on sustained government support, strategic partnerships, and how effectively NCERT navigates this transition.

For now, one thing is clear: NCERT is no longer just shaping what India’s students learn—it is preparing to shape how future educators and researchers are trained.