New Delhi, Dec 1 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party's teachers' wing on Monday termed the proposed Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) a "step towards marketisation and commodification" of higher education, alleging that it would centralise control and weaken democratic governance structures.
The Winter session of Parliament began on Monday and will have 15 sittings.
The Academic for Action and Development Delhi Teachers' Association (AADTA) termed the bill, listed for introduction in the Winter Session, a statutory mechanism that "repeals the UGC Act, 1956 and implements NEP's design of separating regulatory functions from funding, leaving institutions at the mercy of market forces."
It is not merely an umbrella regulatory body as envisaged under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the outfit said in a statement.
The association alleged that what is being portrayed as a "light but tight" regulatory system is actually "light on the government's purse.",
It alleged that the speed of NEP implementation has become its hallmark, often without substantive consultation with students, teachers, parents, and academics.
"The HECI Bill is no exception as the proposed draft is not even in the public domain," it said.
According to AADTA, the HECI framework will replace democratic university governance structures such as Executive Councils and Academic Councils with Boards of Governors — "a centralised, top-down power structure of appointed individuals who are not elected, accountable or representative."
Citing NEP clauses and past draft versions of the bill, the association argued that provisions allowing HECI to override central and state laws could impose a uniform governance model across institutions, curbing state autonomy.
It also flagged concerns over accreditation-driven regulation, quoting the NAC's quality assurance document that states only accredited institutions will be eligible for central funding within five years. "This punitive approach risks defunding or shutting institutions in resource-poor regions."
AADTA warned that linking funding to Institutional Development Plans (IDPs) may disadvantage disciplines with outcomes that cannot be easily quantified and risks further marginalising rural or financially weak universities.
"These mechanisms collectively create a regulatory environment that centralises power and limits diversity, equity and social justice," the statement read, urging the education ministry to make the proposed bill public for "inclusive deliberations."
The HECI Bill, aimed at creating a single higher education regulator replacing the UGC, AICTE, and NCTE, is listed for introduction in the current session. Medical and law colleges will remain outside its purview.