Govt grants deemed university status to NCERT, to offer own courses soon
NEW DELHI: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been granted the status of deemed-to-be university, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Friday.
“We are granting the status of deemed to be a university to NCERT,” the minister said at an event to mark the 63rd foundation day of NCERT.
Established in 1961 under the Society Act, NCERT assists and advises the government in matters of school education. An institution of higher education other than universities, working at a very high standard in a specific area of study, can be declared ‘deemed to be a university’ by the Central government on the advice of the University Grants Commission.
Institutions that are ‘deemed-to-be-university’ enjoy the academic status and privileges of a university. It gives them a fillip to strengthen their academic activities in their specialised fields. Deemed-to-be universities, like other universities, have the autonomy of offering various courses and therefore, preparing students for various examinations and awards.
These institutions design their own syllabi and courses to prepare the students to foray into diverse fields after the completion of their studies. There are over 125 deemed-to-be-universities in India.
With this new status, NCERT will be able to offer its own graduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees.
Pradhan suggested that NCERT to set up augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence labs in all its seven regional centres. “To make India the global hub of research and innovation these centres should be equipped with the latest technologies from around the world with a future-ready infrastructure,” he added.
He called for the merging of Bal Bhavans and Bal Vatika with the NCERT to “provide holistic education to children”, and also inaugurated three labs including one on virtual reality education and another at a teachers training centre.
Drawing parallels, Pradhan said National Education Policy 2020 would be as successful as the recent ISRO project. “The credit for Chandrayaan-3’s successful handling should also go to NCERT as it is where ideas of such projects germinated,” the education minister said.