NCERT granted deemed university status: Dharmendra Pradhan

On September 1, 2023, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been bestowed with the designation of a deemed university. He made the announcement at an event that marked the 63rd foundation day of NCERT in the Capital.

Apart from this, Pradhan also called for the merging of Bal Bhavans and Bal Vatika with the NCERT to ‘provide holistic education to children.’ Established in 1961 under the Society Act, NCERT assists and advises the government in the matter of school education.

According to news sources, the Centre, based on recommendations from the UGC, has the authority to designate an Institute of Higher Education, which is not a university, as an institute ‘deemed-to-be-university’ if it maintains exceptionally high standards in a specific field of study. Institutes holding the ‘deemed-to-be-university’ status receive the academic recognition and privileges akin to those of a university.

With this newfound status, NCERT will be able to offer undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral degrees. During the event, the Minister also inaugurated three laboratories, including one focused on virtual reality education and another dedicated to teacher training.

Pradhan also drew a parallel between the Chandrayaan-3 Mission and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, expressing confidence that the NEP would achieve success on par with the recent ISRO project. He noted, “The credit for the successful management of Chandrayaan-3 should also be attributed to NCERT, as it is where the conception of such projects begin.”