28 Jan 2022

The National Education Policy 2020 envisages the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) as the regulator for higher education, with four verticals for regulation, accreditation, funding, and academic standard setting. A Bill to provide for HCEI is under draft.

India has created many statutory regulatory agencies over the last three decades. Based on the current structures, drafting the Bill does not seem difficult. However, every regulator is unique. Given the importance of higher education, reliance on existing designs may not be appropriate. This piece suggests a few high-level design features befitting the role of HCEI.