NCERT, the apex body for school education, is engaged in educational research, curriculum development and preparation of teaching and learning materials: Reports
NEW DELHI: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been granted deemed-to-be university status, enabling it to award its own degrees, the ministry of education said.
According to an official notification issued on the advice of the University Grants Commission (UGC), NCERT and its six constituent units have been accorded the status under a distinct category.
The constituent units include Regional Institutes of Education in Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysuru and Shillong, along with the Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education in Bhopal.
NCERT, the apex body for school education, is engaged in educational research, curriculum development and preparation of teaching and learning materials.
The Centre had approved granting deemed-to-be university status to NCERT in the ‘De Novo’ category three years ago. Under this category, institutions can undertake study and research in emerging areas not offered by existing institutions.
The notification stipulates that NCERT will not engage in commercial or profit-making activities and that all academic programmes must conform to norms prescribed by the UGC and relevant statutory bodies.
It also mandates that new courses, including off-campus and offshore programmes, be introduced only in accordance with UGC guidelines.
At present, courses offered by NCERT’s Regional Institutes of Education are affiliated with universities such as Barkatullah University, Bhopal, MDS University, Ajmer, University of Mysuru, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar and North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong.
The ministry has directed NCERT to initiate research and doctoral programmes, and to introduce innovative academic courses. It has also asked the institution to participate in national rankings under the National Institutional Ranking Framework and to implement the Academic Bank of Credits system.
The move enables NCERT to expand its academic and research role in the education sector.
