However, the bill will not encompass medical and law colleges within its purview.

According to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the bill will have three major roles: regulation, accreditation, and setting professional standards. However, the fourth vertical, pertaining to funding, will not be covered by the HECI bill, and the autonomy for funding will remain under the purview of the administrative ministry.

Upon enactment, the bill is anticipated to supplant the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). The UGC currently governs non-technical higher education, the AICTE is responsible for technical education, and the NCTE functions as the regulatory authority for teacher education.

Furthermore, according to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the HECI bill will soon be introduced in Parliament. However, even after its introduction, the bill will undergo scrutiny by a standing committee, a crucial step to ensure a thorough examination and refinement of the proposed legislation before it becomes law.

In 2018, a draft bill titled the “Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Bill” was made available to the public for input and discussion. This bill aimed to replace the UGC Act and establish the Higher Education Commission of India. Upon becoming the Education Minister in 2021, Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan redoubled efforts to advance the implementation of the HECI bill.

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According to Minister Sudhakar, these potential amendments are part of a broader effort to address the challenges posed by private universities in the state. These institutions have been rapidly increasing their student intake and introducing new engineering courses without a robust rationale, often citing a supposed demand for such programs. It’s important to note, however, that this surge in enrollment doesn’t necessarily lead to better employability for graduates. Furthermore, the proposed rule changes intend to address the unchecked proliferation of engineering colleges in tier 1 cities. This unchecked growth is having a detrimental impact on the existence and sustainability of colleges in tier 2 and 3 cities.

The state government identified approximately 90 colleges that bypassed the government and obtained approval for new engineering courses directly from Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) and the AICTE. According to the established procedure, VTU should dispatch a local inquiry committee to assess the colleges and grant course approval. Subsequently, AICTE approval and a no-objection certificate from the government are required. However, the government declined to issue certificates to numerous colleges because they lacked VTU’s inquiry reports.

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The last date for all admissions against vacancies, and also for lateral entry to the second year is September 15. The last date for the commencement of first-year classes is also September 15.

For standalone PGCM (Post-Graduate Certificate in Management) and PGDM (Post-Graduate Diploma in Management) institutions, the last date for conditional granting of approval from AICTE is June 10. After appealing, the last date extends to June 30. Last date to cancel admissions in these institutions is September 11. Candidates will get a full refund in this case.

Technical institutes which do not fall under PGCM or PGDM also have June 10 as the last date of approval or refusal by AICTE. Also, last date after appeal extends to June 30. The last date for granting affiliation by the university or board is July 31. Last date to cancel admissions in technical courses (with full refund) is also September 11.

ODL or Open Distance Learning institutions with online courses will have to follow the last date of admission, and grant for approval, according to the UGC policies.

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The committee, set up by UGC chairperson Prof M Jagadesh Kumar, will identify areas where the two bodies can work together towards drawing up policies and regulations. Members of the panel include vice-chairpersons of UGC and AICTE, as well as the UGC secretary and AICTE member-secretary.

“The development of a joint working strategy is in many ways the harbinger of the proposed Higher Education Commission of India (HECI). After all, regulations on higher education affect students pursuing general as well as technical degrees or courses,” said Prof Kumar.

“The committee has been entrusted with identifying areas where the two regulators can work together,” said Kumar. “A separate set of sub-committees, comprising officials of the two regulators, will work on those areas. The idea is to prepare the system to adapt to a situation where HECI will be the overarching body of higher education.”

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The decision has been taken since the current Chairman, Anil Sahsrabudhe, will be relieved of duties on attaining the age of 65 years. Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar will hold the additional charge as the interim head of the AICTE from September 1, 2022 till the appointment of a regular chairperson.

While the appointment of a regular Chairman, AICTE is under progress, approval of Hon’ble Education Minister is conveyed to entrust the additional charge of Chairman AICTE temporarily to Professor M Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman, University Grants Commission till the appointment of a regular Chairman, AICTE or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” reads the notice issued by the Ministry of Higher Education.

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“It is therefore clarified that BVoc course is treated at par with Diploma in Engineering and B.Sc degree for the purpose of admission in B.Tech or BE program through lateral entry,” All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) stated in a press release.

A student needs to pass three years of diploma exams in any branch of engineering in order to get admission to B.Tech or B.E courses through lateral entry the council added. The eligibility criteria also require a B.Sc degree from a recognized university and mathematics as a subject in class 12.

Photo Credit: Zee Business

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The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on Tuesday would be giving away the 2nd Lilavati Awards that are aimed at celebrating Women Empowerment. The event would be graced by the Union Minister for Women & Child Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, who would be addressing the winners online. Named after the great mathematician Lilavati, this year 27 teams comprising faculty and non-faculty members and students will be getting the award for contribution in eight fields of work.

The AICTE had received a huge response and almost 500 teams participated, out of which 27 teams of faculty members, non-teaching staff, and students have been awarded for their contribution towards a more equitable society.

Commenting on the Lilavati Awards, AICTE Chairman, Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, said: “We were absolutely overwhelmed with the response that we got for the Lilavati Awards. More than 500 teams participated and we had a tough time selecting the 27 best teams. The award intends to create an ambiance of ‘equality and fairness for women in all institutions regulated by AICTE.  By this initiative, all the stakeholders (especially the girl students) would get a distinctive opportunity to work on and present a solution to the prevalent issues of gender discrimination, such as illiteracy, malnutrition, unemployment, economic and digital disparities, maternal mortality, human rights, etc. Also, teams comprising mainly of female members can showcase their contributions/successful efforts towards creating an all-inclusive, gender-sensitive, and empowering ecosystem.”

The awards would be given away in the following areas of work:

• Women and Adolescent Health-Issues related to nutrition, pre & post-natal complications, maternal mortality, breast/ovarian & cervical cancer, pregnancy issues, depression and anxiety, child care,
• Self Defence-Training/awareness programs for safety measures, Girl child safety, domestic violence, workplace harassment, confidence-building programs,
• Environment, Sanitation & Hygiene-Menstrual hygiene, home & environment hygiene,
• Literacy and Life Skills- Basic education, digital literacy, awareness against taboos, etc.
• Women Entrepreneurship-Financial safety, business opportunities, govt. schemes, credit,
• Legal Awareness-Women rights & duties, gender equality in society & workplace.
• Technology for Women-Technology integration, device, data availability & access, prevention of cybercrimes etc.
• Women Innovators (Rural/Urban)- Any Innovation felicitating access, equity, equality, and affordability for women.

The awards will continue to motivate and inspire others to create an all-inclusive ambiance, a just and fair society, and thereby create a better nation.

Photo Credit: Leverage Edu

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•  Students of BTech and MTech can avail internship.
• KVIC will pay students Rs.5000/= month during the internship period.
• KVIC is also going to roll out a scholarship programme for researchers.

  The All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) announced its association with Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) with an aim to provide students (UG and PG) with internship opportunities and build entrepreneurial skills.

The programme was started with welcome address of dignitaries by Dr Amit Kumar Srivastava, Director, Student Development Cell, AICTE New Delhi. Prof. Anil D Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE, and Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chairman, KVIC, announced the partnership during a webinar that was organised today by AICTE. The webinar was organised with an aim to understand the role of KVIC in making India and its villages self-reliant and how faculty members of the AICTE and the students can become entrepreneurs at a local level and provide employment to thousands of skilled and unskilled labour in the vicinity.

For internship opportunities, students can get in touch with KVIC state/ divisional offices and on selection will get to work across different departments of their interest. Additionally, the internship opportunities with KVIC will also be uploaded on AICTE internship portal. Under the programme, the students will also be paid a stipend of Rs. 5,000/ month during the internship period. KVIC is also planning to roll out a scholarship programme for students to undertake research projects on its multiple schemes.

Commenting during the webinar, Prof. Anil D Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE, said: “I am delighted to announce our partnership with KVIC would benefit our students. KVIC draws inspiration from Gandhi Ji. We talk about Atmanirbhar Bharat and it shall become Atmanirbhar in true sense when all the villages, talukas, districts, and states become self-reliant. That’s why Gandhi Ji always talked about Gram Swaraj. Today India is a giant in the ITES industry. Now time has come to ensure how we can help villages through ITES and make them more self-reliant and promote entrepreneurship.”

An elated Shri. Vinai Kumar Saxena, Chairman, KVIC, said that the internship programme will help students gain valuable experience through challenging projects. “KVIC has a lot of

 platforms through which students can connect. I will urge all the faculty members and the students to work towards the upliftment of the country through the multiple schemes that KVIC runs across the country. KVIC has always taken on challenging initiatives. I will urge students not to think too much about being job takers but believe in becoming job givers through their entrepreneurial skills,” said Mr. Saxena. Detailing the process, Mr. Saxena said that interested students can reach out to KVIC State/ Divisional offices in different cities for internship opportunities.

“KVIC is offering a project for internship for all the students. The students can gain access to different departments of KVIC be it marketing or manufacturing as per their interest. The students will be paid a stipend of Rs.5000/month during the internship period. We are also planning to roll out a scholarship programme for research scholars who would work on different projects and schemes of KVIC,” Mr. Saxena added.

At the end of programme, vote of thanks was delivered by Ms. Sanju Chaudhary, Assistant Director, Student Development Cell, AICTE New Delhi.

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The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell (MIC) today celebrated the ‘National Start-up Day’ and highlighted 75 innovative technologies with start-up potential to receive grants assistance, mentorship, and incubation linkage support.

These innovations were part of the e-exhibition held during the Innovation Week that started on January 10. During the Innovation Week, more than 500 innovations and startups showcased their work virtually. The Innovation Week concluded today with an announcement of marking the day as ‘National Start-up Day’ by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi.

The innovations and start-ups were selected from a host of programs like the National Innovation Contest, Smart India Hackathon, and Toycathon that were conducted by the Ministry of Education.  These 75 innovations and start-ups have developed a range of technological solutions and services that will work across 16 different themes and sectors.

Among the start-ups, ‘BioMANS’ (Bio-Based Biodegradable Advance Material) produces a wide range of utility products for daily use like carry bags, medical bibs, cotton earbuds, disposable cutlery, etc. from agricultural waste. The start-up is working to curb single-use plastic pollution.

Another start-up named “Fenice Technical Solutions” incubated at Dr. MGR Educational and Research Institute offers solution in Robotics and Drones segment. Their innovative product ‘Clog Removing Autonomous Bot’ (CRAB) is to clear blocks and clogs in underground sewer and metro pipelines.

“Motion Sensing Glove” is a unique technical tool to assist the physiotherapists has been developed by a team of students and is currently being incubated at Punjab University. The device suggests the best and optimal moves for a patient undergoing physio rehabilitation treatment. The founding team is working in the direction to use AI and ML-based data analysis to further improve its usability.

The MoE’s Innovation Cell and AICTE offers a wide range of policy programs and handholding initiatives to promote and support innovation and startups in educational institutions

Prof. Anil D Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE emphasised that: “Toycathon and Toy Business league (TBL) are best platforms for both school and college students to collaborate with industries to commercialise their creative outputs. So far 55 toy manufacturers have collaborated with Toycathon winners to refine and manufacture their products”.

Commenting on the success of the programe, Dr. Abhay Jere, Chief Innovation Officer (CIO), MIC, said: “We started with 30,000 ideas from students and faculty. After multiple levels of screening, scrutiny, and training, we have now identified 75 innovations that have really good start-up potential. We are offering them funding support up to Rs.10 lakh each and will monitor their progress for the next two years”.

Highlighting the importance of the initiative, Prof. M.P. Poonia, Vice-Chairman, AICTE, said: “The AICTE has already introduced and institutionalised a new academic program at master’s level on Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Venture Development (MBA/PGDM in IEV) for technical institutions with incubation units to offer this program. So far 21 HEIs are running this program and helping young minds to undertake the career of innovation and start-up as part of the academic. This academic program is a reformative step and aligned with NEP’s multidisciplinary approach and to produce job creators from academic institutions”.

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• Around 47,015 teachers have benefitted from the program so far from NITTT
• Teachers now must undergo 6 modules out of the 12 higher modules for NITTT
• Portal for PARAKH offers more than 1,45,000 multiple choice questions

With an aim to create a large pool of trained technical teachers, the All India Council for Technological Education (AICTE) today announced that it was expanding the ambit of National Initiative for Technical Teachers Training (NITTT) by making it accessible to teachers with more than five years of service.

The AICTE also announced the launch of portal https://aslap.aicte-india.org/ of Students Learning Assessment (PARAKH) program based on joint recommendations made by National Project Implementation Unit (NPIU) and STANFORD University’s study. The portal will conduct assessments of students and faculty members of HEIs and schools.

The portal has more than 1,45,000 assessment items incorporating multiple disciplines towards improving the overall competence of students and graduates to include core disciplines, aptitude, emerging areas, and higher order thinking skills. As a part of the pilot programme, more than 80,000 students registered with 55,000 completing the assessment. In addition, 1,200 faculty members have also taken the assessment.

As a part of the new revamped NITTT, teachers will now have to serve industrial training and a semester-based mentorship as a part of the training exercise. Earlier, the NITTT was accessible to teachers having less than five years of service and was launched for promoting quality of technical education in the country.

Both the programs were launched by Shri K. Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, MOE, Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, AICTE Chairman, Prof. M.P. Poonia, AICTE Vice-Chairman, and Prof. Rajive Kumar, Member Secretary, AICTE.

On the occasion Shri K. Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, Higher Education, MOE, said: “I must laud and appreciate the AICTE for launching two wonderful initiatives for teachers and students.  It shows that a lot of thinking has gone into these programs and I think the students and the faculties will appreciate the benefits of undergoing these courses.   We are in a virtual mode due to the pandemic and we have to ensure that students don’t feel missing live classrooms.”

Prof. Anil D. Sahasrabudhe, AICTE Chairman said: “We are extremely delighted to launch two new initiatives that would benefit both the students and the teachers at large. We are the midst of the launching the NEP that lays lot of stress on training the teachers and lot of processes that are involved in the education sector. Teaching is a lifelong learning and NITTT will help teachers of today to become tomorrow’s faculty heads. Students should also come forward to take the tests through PARAKH for overall development and growth.”

Prof. M.P. Poonia, AICTE Vice-Chairman said: “PARAKH and NITT T are two important initiatives that we have taken up to drive vigorously. PARAKH helps students to identify a continuous assessment will help them to come out better when they pass out from their institutes and serve the country better. We are also doing this to help students enhance critical thinking and fill gaps in high order skills. On NITTT, the program has been designed as per the teacher’s training policy. It is the first structured teacher’s training programme across the globe.”

Prof Rajive Kumar, Member Secretary, AICTE, said: “We are extremely delighted to share that many faculty members have registered for NITTT and made of them have cleared all these eight modules. As a part of the second initiative PARAKH, Stanford University was given a project to find the learning gaps that our students face and they have executed it on a pilot basis with 50 institutes. On the basis of the recommendations submitted by Stanford University, AICTE has now created a portal for our PARAKH programme that would benefit the students.”

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