NCERT Granted Deemed University Status by Education Ministry

NCERT Granted Deemed University Status by Education Ministry

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NCERT Granted Deemed University Status by Education Ministry

Mumbai, April 3: The Central Ministry of Education has conferred the status of ‘Deemed University’ upon the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). This announcement was made following a notification issued on January 30, based on the advice of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

With this new status, five Regional Institutes of Education and the Central Institute of Vocational Education in Bhopal have now been recognized as deemed universities. The institutes include:

  1. Regional Institute of Education, Ajmer, Rajasthan.
  2. Regional Institute of Education, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
  3. Regional Institute of Education, Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
  4. Regional Institute of Education, Manasagangotri, Mysuru, Karnataka.
  5. North East Regional Institute of Education, Shillong, Meghalaya.
  6. Pandit Sundarlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.

The Ministry of Education, upon UGC’s recommendation, has officially designated NCERT as a ‘Deemed University’ under a special category. The notification states, “The National Council of Educational Research and Training is now empowered to conduct its own admission process, design its own syllabus, conduct examinations, and award degrees.”

This new status allows NCERT to expand beyond just designing school courses. It can now launch new academic programs, including doctoral and degree courses. The government grants ‘Deemed to be University’ status to specialized higher education institutions based on UGC’s advice.

NCERT, established on September 1, 1961, serves as an autonomous body to advise and guide both central and state governments on academic and school-related issues. Before becoming a deemed university, it functioned as the supreme academic body in India, focusing on:

  • Preparing the National Curriculum Framework for schools.
  • Developing quality textbooks for students from Class 1 to 12.
  • Training teachers.
  • Conducting and promoting research related to school education.
  • Creating online resources for e-learning platforms like e-Paathshala and DIKSHA.

According to the notification, an online application was uploaded on the UGC portal to grant NCERT the status of ‘Deemed University’ under Section 3 of the UGC Act, 1956, including its six institutions.