NCERT gets ‘deemed university’ status

• The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been formally declared a ‘deemed university’.

• With the notification by the Ministry of Education, NCERT will be able to offer higher education programmes in education from diploma, undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG) levels to doctoral and specialised courses, while continuing its core role in school curriculum development.

• In September 2023, the Centre had approved granting the deemed-to-be-university status to NCERT 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.

• NCERT shall take appropriate steps to begin research programmes, doctoral programmes and innovative academic programmes.

• The government has also mandated the NCERT to start participating in annual rankings of institutes issued by the National Institutional Ranking Framework and has asked it to create Academic Bank of Credits (ABC), identities of its students, and upload their credit scores in digital lockers that can be reflected in the ABC portal.

What is the role of 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 major constituent units of NCERT which are located in different regions of the country are:

i) National Institute of Education (NIE), New Delhi

ii) Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), New Delhi

iii) Pandit Sundarlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE), Bhopal

iv) Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Ajmer

v) Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Bhopal

vi) Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Bhubaneswar

vii) Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Mysore

viii) North-East Regional Institute of Education (NERIE), Shillong

ix) Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Nellore.

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.

• 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.