The National Council of Educational Research and Training, NCERT, has been granted deemed-to-be university status. With this status, the Council will be able to award its own degrees and expand its academic scope.
The decision was approved by the Ministry of Education, on the advice of the University Grants Commission, UGC.
This decision brings NCERT and its six constituent institutions, including the Regional Institutes of Education located in Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysuru and Shillong, as well as the Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education in Bhopal, under the new status.
In the statement, the Ministry has informed that an online application was uploaded on the UGC Portal for the grant of Institution deemed to be University status under a distinct category to NCERT.
NCERT has been recognised under the ‘De Nova’ category. According to the PTI report, 3 years back, the Centre had approved granting the deemed-to-be-university status to NCERT in the ‘De Novo’ category. A De-Novo deemed university is an institution that can apply to the UGC to be set up as a deemed university, undertaking study and research in unique and emerging areas of knowledge not offered by any existing institution.
The Ministry further added that the recommendation of the UGC Expert Committee was considered and approved by the commission.
The Ministry also directed the NCERT to take appropriate steps to commence research programmes as well as doctoral and innovative academic programmes.
At present, courses offered by NCERT’s Regional Institute of Education are affiliated with local universities like Barkatullah University, Bhopal, M D S University, Ajmer, University of Mysuru, Utkal University, Bhubaneshwar and the North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong.
