Curriculum Planning at National and State Levels: Policies and Regulations

India’s higher education system is one of the largest in the world – and keeping it coherent, high-quality, and accessible across thousands of institutions is no small task. A layered architecture of national and state-level bodies makes this possible. These regulatory bodies don’t just set rules; they actively shape what gets taught, how it’s taught, and who can teach it. Understanding their roles is essential for anyone involved in higher education – whether as an educator, administrator, or policymaker.

The national framework: who coordinates what? 🔗

India’s Constitution places education on the concurrent list, meaning both the central and state governments have legislative authority over it. In practice, however, national-level bodies set the overarching standards, while state bodies implement and adapt them to local conditions. At the apex of this structure sits the University Grants Commission (UGC), flanked by a set of specialized regulatory councils for professional fields.

The University Grants Commission (UGC): the cornerstone of higher education 🔗

Established in 1956 through an Act of Parliament, the UGC is the statutory body responsible for coordinating, determining, and maintaining standards across university education in India. It operates under the Ministry of Education and functions as the primary interface between the central government and the country’s universities.

The UGC’s mandate is broad. It recognizes universities and colleges, ensuring they meet prescribed criteria before they can award degrees – a function that protects both students and the credibility of Indian education internationally. Beyond recognition, it disburses funds to eligible universities in the form of both recurrent grants (for day-to-day academic and administrative work) and capital grants (for infrastructure and campus development).

UGC’s role in curriculum and academic standards 🔗

UGC plays a significant role in developing curriculum frameworks, academic programs, and faculty standards across universities. While it doesn’t mandate a single uniform syllabus for all institutions, it issues curriculum guidelines, promotes interdisciplinary approaches, and funds workshops and conferences aimed at improving academic quality. It also promotes research through fellowships such as the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) and the Senior Research Fellowship (SRF).

One of the UGC’s most impactful academic functions is administering the National Eligibility Test (NET), which sets the minimum standard for appointing teachers in colleges and universities. Since July 2009, NET qualification has been mandatory for teaching at the graduate and postgraduate levels. The commission operates from its headquarters in New Delhi, supported by six regional centres in Pune, Bhopal, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Guwahati, and Bengaluru – a structure that helps it manage India’s diverse and geographically spread educational landscape.

State Councils of Higher Education (SCHEs): bridging national policy and local reality 🔗

While the UGC handles national standards, each state has its own council specifically designed to translate those standards into regional practice. State Councils of Higher Education (SCHEs) are established by state governments as autonomous bodies responsible for coordinating and regulating higher education institutions within their respective regions. They were formally encouraged by the National Policy on Education (NPE) 1986, which recommended that state governments set up such councils to prepare coordinated development programmes for higher education.

The Andhra Pradesh model: a blueprint for other states 🔗

The Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE), founded in 1988, holds the distinction of being the first such council in India. APSCHE has been instrumental in coordinating admissions to various universities and colleges, setting up frameworks for quality assessment, and advising on curriculum reforms based on local employment needs. Its success served as a model for other states to follow, and today nearly every state has its own version of this council.

What SCHEs actually do 🔗

The primary role of SCHEs is to bridge the gap between national educational standards and the unique requirements of each state. Their core responsibilities include:

• Controlling institutional expansion: SCHEs advise state governments on opening new colleges and universities, preventing unchecked proliferation that can dilute quality.
• Ensuring quality compliance: They supervise state universities, ensuring adherence to state policies and national academic standards. They work closely with bodies like NAAC and the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) to maintain quality assurance.
• Curriculum and policy advice: SCHEs advise state governments on curriculum design, faculty development, and funding allocation for education programs.
• Facilitating collaboration: SCHEs facilitate collaboration between state universities and other national or international educational institutions to enhance the quality of education.

For instance, in Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education has worked to improve access to higher education for underprivileged communities, while Maharashtra’s council focuses on improving governance of state universities. These examples illustrate how SCHEs tailor national education goals to local social and economic realities.

Challenges facing SCHEs 🔗

Despite their important mandate, State Councils of Higher Education face persistent challenges. Limited funding restricts their ability to run large-scale reform programmes. Inconsistent quality across states also remains a concern – different states may have varying standards of education, which can result in disparities in higher education quality. There is also a need for stronger, more structured coordination with the UGC, so that national policies are not just formally adopted but meaningfully implemented.

Regulatory bodies for professional courses 🔗

General higher education is one thing; professional education is another. When it comes to fields like engineering, medicine, law, agriculture, or teaching, the curriculum cannot be left to general guidelines alone. These are areas where under-preparation can have real-world consequences – a poorly trained engineer or undertrained teacher affects people’s lives directly. This is why specialized statutory bodies regulate professional and technical courses in India, operating alongside the UGC and SCHEs.

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) 🔗

AICTE was first set up in November 1945 as a national-level advisory body, and was given full statutory powers through the AICTE Act of 1987. Its jurisdiction covers technical education in fields such as engineering, technology, management, architecture, town planning, pharmacy, and applied arts and crafts.

AICTE is responsible for the proper planning and coordinated development of the technical and management education system in India. Its key functions include:

• Granting institutional approval: No technical institution can legally offer courses in its domain without AICTE approval. Colleges must demonstrate adequate infrastructure, qualified faculty, and financial viability before receiving permission.
• Prescribing curriculum standards: AICTE prescribes curriculum and standards for technical education, and promotes research and development within technical institutions.
• Fee regulation: AICTE also plays a role in regulating fees charged by technical institutions, protecting students from exploitation.
• Promoting inclusion: AICTE runs scholarship programmes like Pragati (for girl students) and Saksham (for differently-abled students), making technical education more equitable.

It is important to note that for a student pursuing a B.Tech degree, both conditions must be satisfied – the university must be UGC-recognised and the institution must be AICTE-approved – for the degree to be considered fully valid and accepted for employment or further education.

National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) 🔗

The quality of any education system ultimately rests on the quality of its teachers. The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) is a statutory body established under the NCTE Act of 1993, and it came into operation on 17 August 1995. Its primary objective is to achieve planned and coordinated development of the teacher education system across the country.

NCTE sets the standards for teacher education training, including minimum eligibility criteria for admission, selection methods, course duration, curriculum mode, and course content. It recognizes institutions offering programmes such as the Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed), Bachelor of Education (B.Ed), and Master of Education (M.Ed).

A particularly significant responsibility of NCTE is preventing the commercialisation of teacher education – monitoring institutions through Performance Appraisal Reports and conducting regular inspections to ensure compliance. In line with the National Education Policy 2020, NCTE has taken on new national mandates including the Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP), National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST), and National Mission for Mentoring (NMM).

NCTE operates through four regional committees covering the Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western regions, enabling more responsive regulation adapted to regional needs while maintaining national standards.

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) 🔗

Agriculture is not just an academic subject in India – it is a matter of national food security. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), established on 16 July 1929, serves as the apex body coordinating agricultural education and research, operating one of the largest agricultural research systems globally with 113 institutes and 74 agricultural universities.

ICAR’s role in curriculum planning is exercised primarily through its control over agricultural universities. It accredits agricultural education programmes through the National Agricultural Education Accreditation Board (NAEAB), maintaining quality standards across the agricultural education ecosystem. ICAR supports universities and research institutions focusing on agricultural sciences, ensuring research contributes to food security, rural development, and sustainable agriculture.

Other statutory councils: completing the picture 🔗

India’s regulatory framework for professional education extends well beyond AICTE, NCTE, and ICAR. Several other statutory bodies play equally important roles in their respective domains:

• Bar Council of India (BCI): Established under the Advocates Act of 1961, BCI is responsible for setting guidelines for law colleges, accrediting institutions, and laying down standards for legal education in consultation with universities and State Bar Councils. It also conducts the All India Bar Examination (AIBE), which all law graduates must pass before practising.
• Pharmacy Council of India (PCI): Constituted under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, PCI prescribes the minimum standards of education required for qualification as a pharmacist, including the nature and period of study, practical training requirements, and examination schemes.
• Dental Council of India (DCI): The DCI is responsible for according recognition to dental degrees awarded by various universities and for maintaining uniform standards of dental education in India. It lays down minimum requirements in respect of staff, infrastructure, syllabus, and examination structure.
• Veterinary Council of India (VCI): Established under the Indian Veterinary Council Act 1984, VCI regulates veterinary education and practice standards across the country.
• National Medical Commission (NMC): Replacing the older Medical Council of India, the NMC now regulates medical education, setting standards for curriculum, infrastructure, faculty qualifications, and admissions to medical colleges.

Taken together, 15 professional councils regulate the courses offered by universities and colleges across India, creating a multi-layered system of checks that ensures each field of professional education meets domain-specific standards.

How national and state bodies work together 🔗

It is important to understand that these bodies do not operate in isolation. The UGC sets overarching national standards; SCHEs adapt and implement these within states; and professional councils regulate the curriculum and quality of specific fields, regardless of whether an institution is centrally or state-governed. When functioning well, this three-tiered structure ensures that a student in a remote state university and a student in a metropolitan deemed university both receive an education that meets consistent national benchmarks.

The ongoing conversation about consolidating some of these bodies – including proposals such as the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill 2025, which proposes replacing the UGC, AICTE, and NCTE with a single regulatory authority – reflects just how complex and evolving this architecture continues to be.

What do you think? Given that State Councils of Higher Education often struggle with limited funding and uneven implementation, how can they be better empowered to bridge the gap between national policy and local educational realities? And with India potentially moving towards a unified regulatory body through HECI, do you think consolidating multiple councils into one will strengthen or weaken quality assurance in professional education?

References

1. https://ugc.gov.in
2. https://www.apeejay.edu/asm/blogs/difference-between-ugc-and-aicte/
3. https://asem-education.org/compendiums/india/
4. https://aicte-india.org
5. https://www.ndimdelhi.org/difference-between-ugc-and-aicte/
6. https://web.ncte.gov.in/page/introduction
7. https://www.iitms.co.in/blog/role-of-national-council-for-teacher-education.html
8. https://ncte.gov.in
9. https://distancelearning.institute/management/apex-bodies-indian-higher-education/
10. https://www.theigc.org/sites/default/files/2015/11/Shah-2015-Working-paper.pdf
11. https://news.careers360.com/heci-bill-2025-ugc-aicte-ncte-higher-education-funding-nep-accreditation-regulation-icar-pci-ncahp-inc-dharmendra-pradhan-anrf/amp