Understanding UGC & its 15 prominent professional councils

The University Grants Commission (UGC) is a statutory body of the Government of India that is established through an Act of the Parliament in 1956. The main aim behind the establishment of the commission was to determine, coordinate, and maintain the standards of higher education in India. It may be noted that UGC is the only agency in the country that has been vested with the responsibility of providing funds to universities and colleges.

However, apart from providing funds/ grants to universities and colleges the commission also plays a significant role in maintaining the standard of higher education in India, it:

• Serves as a vital link between central and state governments as well as higher education institutions and advises them on measures that need to be taken to improve university education in India. For instance, providing recommendations on setting up a new university or expansion of an existing university. 
• Frames regulations to maintain the minimum standard of higher education in India.
• Maintains the standard of teaching, exams, and research in universities.
• Promotes university education.

UGC performs all the tasks from its headquarters located in New Delhi. To ensure effective regional coverage of the commission’s endeavours, UGC has six offices located in cities such as Bangalore, Bhopal, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Pune.

Role of UGC in university selection

Each university in India needs to get recognition from UGC before it starts granting degrees to students. In order to be UGC recognised, each university needs to undergo an inspection by an expert panel designated by the commission. A varsity gets the status of a “UGC recognised university” only when it satisfies the expert panel in terms of different parameters such as faculty and staff, curriculum, infrastructure, as well as policies and procedures.

It may be noted that not all universities are granted recognition from UGC after inspection. From time to time, UGC publishes a list of fake universities to warn students against getting admission in such universities. Therefore, students are recommended to look for UGC recognised institutions at the time of seeking admission.  

Professional Councils of UGC

UGC has 15 professional councils. These councils of UGC offer grants to undergraduate programmes (offered at various colleges/ universities), promote professional institutions, and provide recognition to different courses.     

The 15 prominent professional councils of UGC are:

All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE): Established under the AICTE Act, 1987, the council is responsible for the development of technical education in India. Broad roles of AICTE include:

• To coordinate the development of technical education in India at all levels.
• To laydown standards for courses, exams, assessment, staff qualification and pattern, instructional facilities, etc.
• To give approvals for starting new technical institutions and courses.

 Medical Council of India (MCI): MCI was established under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. The council prescribes standards for medical education in India including recognition of medical qualifications offered at universities/ colleges. Broad roles of MCI include:

• To make regulations regarding the course and exam subjects.
• To regulate the standard of proficiency to be obtained in medical institutes/ universities for grant of recognised medical qualifications.
• To regulate professional medical examinations.
• To make recommendations to the Central Government for introducing new courses and establishing new medical colleges.

 Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR): ICAR has been established with an aim to meet agricultural research and education needs of India. Broad roles of ICAR include:

• To setup agricultural universities in the country.
• To provide funding to universities.

As per UGC, currently, the council provides funding to about 30 state agricultural universities, one central university, and numerous deemed universities. “These universities employ about 26,000 scientists for teaching, research and extension education; of these over 6,000 scientists are employed in the ICAR supported coordinated projects,” states the official website of UGC.

Know all about ICAR AIEEA exam here.

National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE): NCTE has been setup under the National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993 to facilitate planned development of the teacher education system in India. Broad roles of NCTE include:

• To monitor the development of teacher education in India.
• To grant recognition to institutes offering courses/ training in teacher education.
• To laydown standards regarding exams that lead to teacher education qualifications.
• To laydown guidelines regarding minimum qualification that a person should have to be employed as a teacher. 

 Dental Council of India (DCI): Constituted under the Dentists Act, 1948, DCI regulates the dental education and profession in the country. Broad roles of DCI include:  

• To grant recognition to degree awarded by different universities in dental courses.
• To maintain standards of dental education in India.
• To prescribe syllabus and scheme of exams.
• To laydown minimum requirements regarding infrastructure and staff.

 Pharmacy Council of India (PCI): Also known as Central Council, PCI was established under section 3 of the Pharmacy Act, 1948. The council aims at regulating pharmacy education and profession in India up to graduation level. Broad roles of PCI include:

• To prescribe standards for pharmacy education in India for qualification as a pharmacist.
• To provide equipment and facilities to students pursuing a course in pharmacy.
• To maintain standard of examination and prescribe syllabus.
• To prescribe any other conditions regarding admission in a Pharmacy course.   

 Indian Nursing Council (INC): Constituted under the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947, INC is a regulatory body responsible for the development of nurse education in the country. Major roles of INC include:

• To maintain uniform standard of training for Nurses, Health Visitors, Midwives, and Auxiliary Nurse-Midwives.
• To prescribe courses for training of nurses.
• To prescribe conditions for admission in different nursing courses.
• To prescribe standard of exam.  

 Bar Council of India (BCI): Established under the Advocates Act 1961, the statutory body of BCI regulates legal education and legal practice in India. Broad roles of BCI include:

• To prescribe standard of professional conduct to be observed by advocates.
• To specify conditions that advocates must fulfil in order to practice law. 

 Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH): CCH was constituted under the Homoeopathy Central Council Act, 1973 with the main aim of prescribing and recognising all homeopathic medicine qualifications in India. Any medical university/ institution which wants to grant degrees to students can do so only by applying to CCH.

Other broad roles of the council include:

• To create and maintain Central Register of Homoeopathy.
• To collect information from all universities/ medical institutions regarding the courses of study and exams.
• To appoint visitors that can examine infrastructure and other facilities given to students at medical institutions
• To appoint inspectors for proper conduct of exams.

 Central Council for Indian Medicine (CCIM): Established under the Indian Medicine Central Council Act, 1970, CCIM is responsible for prescribing and maintaining standards of education in Indian Systems of Medicine (Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani Tibb). Major roles of CCIM include:

• To prescribe standard of professional conduct and code of ethics that practitioners should follow.
• To appoint visitors to inspect different facilities (staff, equipment, accommodation, etc.) at colleges and hospitals imparting education in Indian medicine.
• To appoint medical inspector to check the conduct of exams.
• To frame guidelines regarding the courses, practical training to be given to students, subject of examinations, proficiency to be maintained by a university/ board medical institution for grant of recognised medical qualification.   

 Council of Architecture (COA): Constituted under the Architects Act, 1972, COA is responsible for the regulation of Architecture education and practice of the profession across India. It is mandatory for any person who wants to be in the profession of Architecture to register with COA. Broad roles of the council include:

• To prescribe standard of education imparted in colleges/ institutions offering Architecture courses.
• To prescribe guidelines regarding eligibility for admission, course duration, course content, exam, etc.  
• To conduct inspection in institutions through committees of experts for maintenance of standard of facilities (staff, accommodation, etc.).

 Distance Education Council (DEC): DEC was set up under the Indira Gandhi National Open University Act, 1985. The council is mainly responsible for promoting distance education and open universities in India. The council’s major role includes:

To provide academic guidelines to enable access to sustainable education, use of state-of-the-art technologies and approaches, and training as well as skill upgradation to all.

Check UGC Approved Distance Education Courses & Universities here.

Rehabilitation Council: Constituted under Rehabilitation Council of India Act in 1992, the council became a statutory body on June 22, 1993. Major role of Rehabilitation Council includes:

• To regulate and standardise the training of personnels and professionals in the field of Rehabilitation.

 National Council for Rural Institutes (NCRI): An autonomous society, fully funded by MHRD, NCRI was established with the aim of promoting rural higher education in India. Major roles of NCRI include:

• To motivate educational institutions to develop education according to Gandhian Philosophy of education.
• To train teachers.
• To research by networking with policy-making bodies and organisations like UGC and AICTE. 

 State Council of Higher Education (SCHE): Different state governments of India have their respective SCHEs that help in the development of higher education at state level. Some SCHEs include Andhra Pardesh State Council for Higher Education (APSCHE), Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (TNSCHE), and UP State Council for Higher Education (UPSCHE). Major roles of SCHEs include:

• To consolidate efforts and investments of higher education institutions with the state government.
• To develop higher education programmmes in coordination with each state. 

Students are recommended to check if a particular college/ university in which they are seeking admission has recognition from the respective UGC council. Doing this is important as these councils play a major role in maintaining the standard of education in colleges/ universities. Not only this, the councils also ensure that proper infrastructural standards are maintained in institutions that help in the overall development of students.