Education Ministry notifies NCERT as deemed university

SOCIAL – EDUCATION

3 APRIL 2026

• The Education Ministry has issued a notification declaring the National Council for Educational Research and Training, (NCERT), an institution deemed to be a university, enabling it to offer courses or programmes and grant degrees.
• The University Grants Commission (UGC) had approved the expert panel’s recommendations to grant deemed university status to the NCERT — a nodal school curriculum body.
• The notification confers the status on the NCERT, along with its six regional institutes, provided that a list of conditions is met.
• These conditions prevent the NCERT from indulging in any activities that are “commercial” and “profit-making” in nature, and mandate that all academic courses or programmes must conform to the norms and standards prescribed by the UGC and the concerned statutory bodies or councils.
• The Ministry said the NCERT must take all the measures required to get its academic programmes and courses rated for accreditation by the National Board of Accreditation, and for the institute itself by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council.