Since ancient times to the modern world, the Higher Education System has always been remarkable in our country, India. The system witnessed to be grown higher in the post-independence period.
Ancient India owned the world’s oldest universities like Takshashila, Nalanda, Vikramashila, etc. India was undeniably the center of learning, not only for inhabitants but also for the populace from other republics.
Maybe, many of us are not aware of the fact that India has grown so miraculously that today, we can take the pleasure of learning in the world’s third-largest education system. The system is being controlled by UGC, the main governing body of tertiary education.
In this piece of writing, we will be informing all about UGC, its full form, commencement, and working under the following points-
UGC Act 1956 - Rules & Regulations
What is UGC? UGC Full Form, History, and Establishment
What is UGC and what is the full form of UGC? These questions can be heard from many students who continue their educational journey to a higher level. UGC full form is ‘University Grants Commission’.
Now, let us go through the passage by which the country acquired the UGC or University Grants Commission India and know when was University Grants Commission UGC was set up.
UGC Establishment - Journey So Far
The depiction of UGC we have today is the result of numerous intense steps taken before and after the Indian Independence. Come, let’s become a part of the establishment journey of the University Grants Commission.
1. The first attempt to have an education system was made in the year 1944 with the Sargent Report. It was the Report of the Central Advisory Board of Education on Post-War Educational Development in India.
2. Through the recommendation, the University Grants Committee was formed in 1945, which took upon the responsibility of supervision of three Central Universities of Aligarh, Banaras, and Delhi.
3. In the year 1947, the committee got the responsibility to control all the universities of that era.
4. In 1948, the University Education Commission was set up, whose chairman was Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. The commission suggested that the existing University Grants Committee should be transformed into University Grants Commission India like the UK.
5. On 28 December 1953, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (former Minister of Education) inaugurated University Grants Commission.
6. And in November 1956, UGC (University Grants Commission) was formally established as a statutory body of the Government of India via ‘University Grants Commission Act, 1956’ of the Parliament. The vision was to supervise the coordination, determination, and maintenance of standards of university education in our country.
7. Thereafter In 1994 and 1995, UGC introduced six centers at Pune, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bhopal, Guwahati, and Bangalore to control the region-wise education system in India. Currently, the head office is locating at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in New Delhi.
What are UGC Roles and Functions? Power & Main Aims of UGC
The main aim & role of UGC in higher education is to provide funds to universities and coordinate, determine & maintain the ethics in institutions of higher education. The commission upholds the interpretation among the universities, government, and the community.
UGC has also set some standards for the universities for being UGC Approved Universities. With the growth of higher education in India, many top, medium, and small universities are being established day by day. Among these universities, there are many universities that are fake and not fit as per the UGC standards.
Therefore, the University Grants Commission has released the list of Fake Universities in India to help the students to recognize these rejected universities.
Major UGC Activities and Functions of University Grants Commission
Promote and coordinate university education.
Frame rules on minimum standards of education.
Setting standards for examination like ICAR NET, UGC NET & CSIR UGC NET
Scrutinize growth in the field of college and university education.
Allow grants to the universities and colleges.
Maintain the connection between the Union and State Governments and institutions of higher education.
Suggest mandatory procedures to Central and State governments to make positive changes in University Education.
Download UGC NET Syllabus Free PDF (All Subjects)
UGC Rules & Regulations under the University Grants Commission Act 1956
Below you can find the official PDF of the University Grants Commission Act 1956 for various UGC Rules & Regulations.
Note: The Government is planning to replace University Grant Commission (UGC) with a new Higher Education Commission of India (HECI).
HECI will be governed by a commission headed by a chairperson and vice-chairperson selected by a committee which will include the Cabinet Secretary and Higher Education Secretary (HRD).
What is Hierarchy of University Grants Commission? Organizational Structure of UGC India
The University Grants Commission follows a structural chain of command that starts from the UGC Chairman. Here, you can read the detailed analysis of UGC Members and the composition of UGC.
Below you can see the list of the members of UGC –
| UGC Member |
Currently Serving As |
|
|
|
Prof. Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar |
UGC Chairman |
|
|
Dr. | Vice-Chairman UGC |
|
|
Shri | Secretary, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development |
| - | S | Additional Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance |
|
|
Dr. | Former Vice-Chancellor Kavikulguru Kalidas Sanskrit University Nagpur |
|
|
Prof. | Vice-Chancellor Dr. Hari Singh Gour university |
|
|
Dr. | Principal |
|
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Prof. | Professor Department of Physics |
Chief Officials/Members of UGC India
UGC Chairman - The present UGC Chairman's name is Prof. Dhirendra Pal Singh (D. P. Singh). He owns 34 years of experience in educational planning & administration, institution building, teaching & training, research & development, international cooperation, etc.
He has also served as the Director of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and Vice-Chancellor of three universities - Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, Dr. Hari Singh Gour University, Sagar and Devi Ahilya University, Indore.
Prior to becoming the UGC Chairman, Prof D.P Singh has also been a member of various committees to improve the depiction of the higher education system of India.
He also possesses awards like the Environment Leadership Award, Environmentalist of the Decade (Poorvanchal) Award, Bharat Jyoti Award, U.P. Ratan Award, Agra University GauravShri Award, Raja Balwant Singh ShikshaSamman, Nation Builder Award, etc.
UGC Vice Chairman - Dr. Bhushan Patwardhan has been appointed as Vice Chairman of UGC,
UGC Secretary - Shri Amit Khare is currently serving as the Secretary Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development. He has many years of professional experience in teaching, research, administration, institution building, and corporate training.
Explore the complete organizational chart of the University Grants Commission here - UGC Organizational Structure.
UGC Scholarships & Awards - Complete List of UGC Fellowships
Various UGC scholarships and fellowships have been planned by the commission which provides enormous opportunities to the students who are continuously contributing to the growth of our educational system.
With the help of UGC scholarships, the students who are not financially strong but are capable to induce positive changes in the higher education system can continue their education without any financial hindrances.
You can have a glance at the list of various UGC Fellowships and UGC Scholarship that are proceeding in our country by referring UGC Scholarships and Fellowships.
UGC Research Awards & Honours
The University Grants Commission (UGC) always put steps for encouraging teaching and research. For promoting excellence in research in higher education UGC has arranged UGC Research awards and honours.
Suggested Read: Research UGC-CARE List (Group A, B, C & D) – List of Approved Journals
Every year many brilliant researchers and Lecturers are bestowed with UGC Awards and Honours by the commission.
The awards are –
UGC Hari Om Ashram Trust Awards
UGC Swami Pranavananda Saraswati National Awards
UGC National Veda Vyas Sanskrit Awards
To know about these awards in detail along with the eligibility and selection guidelines, follow UGC Research Awards 19-20.
At this point, we are concluding the hopefulness that you have streaked all the important aspects of UGC (University Grants Commission India).
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