• The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been granted Deemed-to-be-University status, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on the 63rd foundation day of NCERT.

• As the apex organisation for school education, the NCERT undertakes various activities and programmes, including educational research and innovation, curriculum development and development of textual and teaching-learning materials.

• The NCERT has been granted the Deemed-to-be-University status in the ‘De Novo’ category. A De-Novo deemed university is an institution that can apply to the UGC for setting up a new institution as Deemed-to-be-University, which will undertake study and research in unique and emerging areas of knowledge that are not offered by any existing institution.

• With the Deemed-to-be-University status, the NCERT will be able to award its own degrees to teachers and decide the courses they want to offer the teachers.

NCERT

• The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organisation set up in 1961 to assist and advise the central and state governments on policies and programmes for qualitative improvement in school education. 

The functions of NCERT and its constituent units are to: 

i) Undertake, promote and coordinate research in areas related to school education.

ii) Prepare and publish model textbooks, supplementary material, newsletters, journals and develop educational kits, multimedia digital materials, etc.

iii) Organise pre-service and in-service training of teachers.

iv) Develop and disseminate innovative educational techniques and practices.

v) Collaborate and network with state educational departments, universities, NGOs and other educational institutions.

vi) Act as a clearing house for ideas and information in matters related to school education.

vii) Act as a nodal agency for achieving the goals of Universalisation of Elementary Education.

• NCERT works on the entire gamut of school education, be it conducting research in school education, conducting innovative pre-service and in-service teacher training programmes or synergising the State level education organisations like State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs), District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), etc in every possible way.

• In addition to research, development, training, extension, publication and dissemination activities, NCERT is an implementation agency for bilateral cultural exchange programmes with other countries in the field of school education. 

• The NCERT also interacts and works in collaboration with the international organisations, visiting foreign delegations and offers various training facilities to educational personnel from developing countries.

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