All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations (AIFUCTO), the apex federation representing thousands of teachers has submitted a representation to the Joint Parliamentary Committee for Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishtan Bill (2025) on April 24, 2026. The text of this representation is reproduced below:

The Chairperson,

Joint Parliamentary Committee for VBSA Bill (2025),

Govt. of India.

Respected Madam,

The All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations (AIFUCTO), representing College and University teachers throughout India, hereby submits this representation for the favourable consideration by the Joint Parliamentary Committee for VBSA Bill (2025), Government of India.

Kindly go through the observations and suggestions.

Observations:

1. The first education policy in 1968, and the second in 1986, emphasized public sector centered education. However, with the onset of globalization-liberalization-privatization policies in India in the early 1990s, the private sector interventions began in education through public-private partnerships. What started with maintaining proportions gradually saw the ‘public’ component shrink and the ‘private’ expand, leading to complete privatization today. Just as the public sector became stagnant across all sectors, corporate forces gained control there too which is a trend evident in the privatization policies of the National Education Policy 2020. What we see in the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill 2025 is the legislative culmination and legal endorsement of this National Education Policy.

2. At first glance, the Bill’s provisions impose greater control over higher education, completely eliminate federalism and institutional academic autonomy, accelerate corporatization and commercialization.

3. It is truly a process of subjecting an entire generation to ‘academic de-generation’ creating a generation incapable of questioning or raising criticisms. An education process that is not at all reproductive is not useful for a nation. It is therefore Indian Knowledge System (IKS) has been introduced in the curriculum. In an India filled with diversity of languages, cultures, castes, religions, customs and beliefs, the provisions of this Bill destroy diversity and promote uniformity. ‘Unity in diversity’ is being changed to ‘no diversity, only uniformity.’

4. The VBSVP (Viksit Bharat Shiksha Vinimayan Parishad), VBSMP (Viksit Bharat Shiksha Manak Parishad) and VBSGP (Viksit Bharat Shiksha Gunvatta Parishad) are established as three special empowered councils under VBSA. The first is the national-level regulatory council, the second sets outcomes, qualifications and minimum standards, and the third is the accreditation council. In reality, UGC, AICTE and NCTE are abolished and VBSA becomes a single body. Moreover, it is clear that the center is completely withdrawing from the responsibility of granting funds to state universities, affiliated institutions and teachers. Not only are ‘central grants’ completely stopped, but VBSA also gains the power to impose heavy fines of 10 to 75 lakhs rupees on higher education institutions. In short, there is a clear shift from a ‘funding agency’ to a ‘fine-levying agency.’

5. According to the provisions of the new Bill, all stakeholders in higher education become mere facilitators. This Bill grants no democratic rights to teachers, students or anyone. It must be read alongside the New Labor Code, which overturns all labor laws.

6. Education, which moved from the state list to the concurrent list, now receives further impetus from this Bill for those trying to shift it fully to the central list through its emphasis on power centralization. If control of the 12-member committee comes fully under the central government, it won’t take much thought to understand what interests it will reflect.

7. State Higher Education Councils, formed with primacy to state interests and progressive quality standards in higher education, should have authority in their respective places. A single system of education -both in structure and in content, is against the fundamental principles of the Indian Constitutional values.

8. Constitutionally speaking, education is a concurrent subject. The co-ordination of standards, accreditation, and regulations in respect of higher education needs to be legislated as a shared responsibility. The Union Government as well as the State Governments should have a role in the determination of standards, accreditation, and regulations. Currently the VBSA does not treat this task as a shared responsibility of the Union and the States. The determination of standards, accreditation, and regulations cannot be a top-down affair.

9. Currently it is the individual states that are the primary financers of their higher education systems. Block grants need to be provided for teaching and research in an integrated way. The ANRF, as established, does not provide for block grants. It follows hub and spokes model, supports those who have already advantage. It does not offer social and interregional equity. The private sector higher education institutions do not provide for equity and social justice. The alternate legislation should provide for the enforcement of affirmative action.

10. The provisions in the VBSA Bill would lead to a situation in which all educational institutions are converted into autonomous institutions, thereby threatening the very existence of institutions located in rural areas. It would also result in a scenario where even institutions funded by State Governments would not be accountable to the State; instead, they would come directly under the control of this regulatory council.

11. Over the past decade, the UGC has not provided financial assistance to higher education institutions for the upgradation of infrastructure and academic facilities. In the absence of adequate strengthening of domestic institutions, the establishment of foreign university campuses in India could be fatal to the existence of Indian institutions. Additionally, these campuses are likely to remain inaccessible to students from marginalized and economically weaker sections.

12. The provisions in this bill will have a significant impact on faculty salaries in higher education, as under the current system, salary structure and qualifications are interlinked within the same regulatory framework. By treating qualifications merely as part of minimum standards, periodic salary revisions may be adversely affected. Moreover, the engagement of distinguished experts from various fields in higher education may also be impacted; in some cases, this could affect the quality of teaching, as expertise alone may not substitute for the required academic qualifications and pedagogical training.

Suggestions:

1. Priority should go to state councils. What is actually needed at the central level is a Higher Education Grants Council.

2. States must be seen as ‘partners’ and the center should not view states as ‘subordinates’ that bow their heads in obedience to orders in the federal power structure.

3. The alternate bill should give at least 50% weightage to the process to be carried out by the SHECs. Neither of these councils can be given full power to determine everything nor 100% weight be given to the above said councils in the alternate bill. The process should be executed as a shared responsibility. The SHECs can be assigned the responsibility of state specific standards determination, accreditation, and regulation. The state governments can and should be expected to take care of the priorities such as the contribution to school education, environment, climate, local resources rejuvenation and local economic development.

4. The SHECs should be delegated the role and function of coordinating the participation of higher education institutions in the determination and realization of standards, contribution to accreditation, and regulatory processes in a pro-active manner. The priorities would be different state wise and the weightages to be prescribed can be expected to be different. The AIFUCTO believes that the Union Government determined process of standards determination, accreditation and regulation should be given the other 50% weight and focus on the goals of space for inter-regional equity, linguistic and cultural autonomy, social justice, national level innovation, fundamental science, new technologies, global excellence, and other such responsibilities of the Union Government Ministries such as health, industry, foreign affairs, defense, energy security and so on.

5. In the alternate bill the Central Council (Commission) and the three verticals are the arms of Union Government. The alternate bill should provide for the federal approach and the reporting function be shaped as a system of reporting to the parliament. The institutional structure for standards, accreditation and regulation would need funding mechanism to be incorporated in each vertical for which the approval should be taken from the parliament. As this apparatus will have to pursue the responsibility of creating enabling funding mechanisms, collaboration, and handholding among the state sector and the central sector HEIs as a joint collaborative process it should not be reporting to the PMO but to the Central Council (Commission) to be established as a federal mechanism.

6. Any process of revamping the entire higher education system across the country should not be harmful and against the better service conditions of the faculties as well as the interest of the stake holders.

7. AIFUCTO has a strong view that the introduction of VBSA Bill (2025 ) would definitely create lot of issues in the reservation related policy matters which result in the marginalization of the socially and educationally deprived sector. The alternate bill need to consider this concern.

8. The alternate bill will have to explicitly provide for bridging the gap to guarantee public purpose, ensure quality and improve the access to higher education for all sections of the society.

9. A detailed discussion with all the stake holders should be ensured by the JPC in this regard so as to democratically re-draft the entire bill and propose an alternative one.

The All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations ( AIFUCTO ) has a long tradition and culture of academic as well as organisational movements. We are ready to appear before the commission with more details and documents, if your good self permit us by giving a slot to meet you.

Thanking you