Review of Autonomous Institutions under Higher Education

The Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports examined the administration, staffing, and regulations of autonomous bodies under the Department of Higher Education (including NTA, NAAC, UGC, and various research councils) to identify administrative lapses and recommend improvements in exam conduct, faculty appointments, and equity policies.

This concerns the Department of Higher Education and its autonomous institutions (NTA, NAAC, UGC, ICHR, ICPR, ICSSR, IIAS, Auroville Foundation), as well as the general public affected by competitive examinations, higher education accreditation, and research fellowships.

• The Committee observed that at least five out of 14 competitive exams conducted by NTA in 2024 faced major issues such as postponements, paper leaks, and delayed results.
• The Committee recommended focusing on pen-and-paper exams, hosting computer-based tests only in government-controlled centres, creating a nationwide blacklist of firms involved in exam administration, and setting up a high-level committee to address the proliferation of coaching centres.
• The Committee flagged high-level vacancies, noting that UGC has functioned under an acting Chairperson since April 2025, the Director of IIAS was vacant from August 2021 to August 2025, and ICPR was not constituted between 2022 and 2024.
• The Committee recommended that vacancies be filled immediately and that the practice of assigning additional charge offices for long periods be avoided.
• The Committee recommended re-evaluating the implementation of EWS reservation at Associate Professor and Professor levels, noting that individuals at these levels earn more than eight lakh rupees annually and thus cannot qualify as EWS.
• The Committee recommended implementing a binary accreditation model (accredited or not-accredited) to replace the current long and bureaucratic process.
• The Committee recommended increasing the fellowship stipend amount and the number of fellowships, noting a disparity where UGC provides Rs 37,000 per month while ICHR, ICPR, and ICSSR provide Rs 17,000 to Rs 20,000 per month.
• The Committee recommended changes to draft UGC regulations, including including OBC harassment in the definition of caste-based harassment, including disability as an axis of discrimination, and drawing more than 50% of the Equity Committee from disadvantaged communities.
• The Committee recommended re-evaluating the restriction that prevents universities without A+ accreditation from offering online courses, as the NAAC grading process does not check an institution’s ability to provide online education.

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