In a watershed moment, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan proclaimed on September 1, 2023, that the venerable institution, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), has ascended to the prestigious echelons of a deemed university.
This epochal declaration unfolded at a ceremony marking the 63rd foundation day of NCERT, held in the hallowed precincts of the national capital.
In his momentous announcement, Minister Pradhan articulated, “Today, I want to announce that we are granting the status of ‘deemed to be university’ to NCERT,” thereby bestowing upon this venerable educational institution a distinguished academic accolade.
In a visionary move, Minister Pradhan also advocated for the amalgamation of Bal Bhavans and Bal Vatika with NCERT. This merger is conceived as a pivotal strategy to offer a comprehensive and holistic education experience to the nation’s children.
Established in 1961 under the aegis of the Society Act, NCERT has been at the vanguard of assisting and advising the government in matters pertaining to school education.
It is imperative to note that, under the aegis of the University Grants Commission (UGC), an Institution of Higher Education can be accorded the coveted designation of ‘Deemed-to-be-university’ by the Central government, provided it attains exceptional standards of academic excellence in a specific area of study. Institutions bestowed with this status revel in the academic prestige and privileges akin to those of a university.
With this new-fledged status as a deemed university, NCERT is poised to confer undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral degrees, further elevating its stature in the realm of education.
During the ceremony, Minister Pradhan inaugurated three state-of-the-art laboratories, including a virtual reality education lab and a teacher training center, underscoring the institution’s commitment to advancing education through innovation.
In a moment of profound insight, Minister Pradhan drew an analogy between Chandrayaan-3, India’s forthcoming lunar mission, and the National Education Policy (NEP). He expressed his conviction that the NEP, akin to Chandrayaan-3, would achieve monumental success, remaining impervious to any challenges.
In a related development, NCERT has constituted a new committee entrusted with the responsibility of shaping the curriculum and textbooks for classes 3 to 12. This committee’s primary objective is to align the curriculum with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE), a crucial facet of the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
This momentous announcement represents a watershed moment in the annals of Indian education, heralding a new era of academic excellence and innovation at Ncert
