By Admin 
The country’s largest institution related to school education has now entered a new phase. The signals that were given about three years ago have now become reality. NCERT has now been formally granted the status of “Deemed to be University”.
Till now NCERT was identified as the body that decides the curriculum, books and educational direction of schools. But after the new status, this institution will also be able to start research, PhD and new academic courses. That means, going beyond school education, it will now step into the field of higher education as well.
Recently, the Education Ministry issued a notification and announced this. This decision has been taken on the advice of the University Grants Commission. NCERT and its six units have been given the status of deemed universities in the “special category” under Section 3 of the UGC Act 1956.
These units include the regional education institutes of Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysore and Shillong, as well as the Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education based in Bhopal.
Now research and PhD programs will start
NCERT will have to start research programmes, PhD and new types of educational courses. This means that now this organization will not be limited to just making books, but will also do in-depth research on education.
Concerns were raised earlier
However, this change did not seem comfortable to everyone. In 2022, some teachers within NCERT had expressed concern that becoming a deemed university could reduce the academic freedom of the institution. He believed that this would bind NCERT to the rules of UGC and its independent hold on school education could be weakened.
It is necessary to follow UGC rules
It is clearly stated in the notification that all the courses started by NCERT will be as per the standards set by UGC. Before opening any new course or new centre, UGC guidelines will have to be followed. It has also been made clear that NCERT cannot be involved in any kind of commercial or profit making activity.
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Will also be involved in the ranking and recognition process
Now NCERT will have to participate in the national ranking and recognition process like higher education institutions. It will have to participate in NIRF every year and take recognition from organizations like NAAC and NBA.
Academic Bank of Credit will also be implemented
Like higher education institutions, NCERT will also have to implement the ABC system. The credit score of the students will be recorded digitally, so that the study record will remain safe and organized.
Got status after long process
This decision has come after a long process. NCERT had received the letter of intent in August 2023. After this, the compliance report was given in November 2025, which was approved by the expert committee of UGC. The final agreement on this was reached in the UGC meeting on January 30.
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