Overview
- The Education Ministry’s notification, dated Monday, March 30, declared NCERT and six constituent institutes a “deemed to be university” under Section 3 of the UGC Act.
- NCERT must now start research and doctoral programmes and can design specialised courses as a degree‑granting institution.
- The order requires compliance with UGC norms, accreditation by NAAC or NBA, participation in NIRF rankings, creation of an Academic Bank of Credits with student records in digital lockers, and a ban on profit‑making activities.
- The new status centralises degrees for NCERT’s Regional Institutes of Education and allows any off‑campus or offshore centres only under UGC guidelines, a change that will alter how teacher‑training courses are approved and awarded.
- The decision followed an application in 2022, a letter of intent in August 2023, and UGC approval in January 2026, even as some faculty warn the shift could erode the council’s curricular autonomy.