NCERT to be granted deemed university status

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), an institution that has been traditionally known for the production of school textbooks and curriculum design, may soon transition to a different institutional role. According to sources from the Ministry of Education, NCERT is going to be granted deemed, to, be, university status by the end of January, ANI reports.

The decision has already been almost finalized, and the University Grants Commission is expected to take it up in its 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 of making NCERT a research, focused institution that could collaborate with foreign academic institutions and contribute more actively to the international education ecosystem.

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. While being influential, NCERT is not a university. It does not award degrees, conduct independent postgraduate programmes or operate as a higher education institution. Its authority is based on being a policy unit, rather than on academic accreditation. Deemed university status would mean a change in that hierarchy. What deemed, to, be, university status means Universities in India are recognised by the University Grants Commission under the UGC Act, 1956. Deemed, to, be, university is a special category only for those institutions, which on the strength of academic record in a particular area, are recommended by the UGC and given approval by the Central Government. The number of such institutions with deemed university status is about 145 as per the information on the UGC website. The Indian Institute of Science was the first institution to be conferred with this status in 1958, whereas at present, Tamil Nadu has the largest number of such institutions.

After being granted this status, NCERT will be able to operate as a research university with full autonomy. As per ANI, this will enable it to begin expanded in, house research programmes without any external collaboration and formally enter higher education and doctoral training.

Additionally, NCERT will have the authority to grant its own degrees, thus greatly extending its institutional footprint beyond school education. This not only places it differently in India's education system but also creates a scenario where bodies that design school curricula and those that award higher education degrees have traditionally remained separate.

According to the ANI report, it is anticipated that most of the financing will still be provided by the Department of School Education and Literacy under the Ministry of Education. That information is important because it indicates that NCERT's academic diversification will be still embedded in the school education sector and not taken over by the higher education sector.

Why the move matters ?

The proposal exemplifies a wider policy change under the National Education Policy which supports research, oriented institutions and integration across different levels of education. In effect, NCERT being turned into a deemed university would mean that one institution absorbs the authority of curriculum, the capacity for research, and the power to grant degrees. The change of the university status modifies the governance, accountability and academic power. 

What happens next?

The final call is with the UGC and it would need an approval from the Central Government as well. In case of a positive decision, NCERT will be among the institutions which enjoy considerable autonomy in Indias higher education system. The transition for an organisation that has, through its publications, influenced the education of students for years, from indirectly impacting education to formally awarding degrees and producing research, is quite significant. The consequences will not only be seen in universities but also in the way school education policy is researched, trained and revised. At present, the proposal is poised for a meeting and once it is approved, it would change permanently what NCERT is allowed to be.