The National Education Policy (2020) has recommended the replacement of the UGC by an umbrella organisation, the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) with its four Verticals, namely-
(A) National Higher Educational Regulatory Council
(B) General Educational Council
(C) Medical Council of India
(D) National Accreditation Council.
(E) Higher Education Grants Council.
Choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Correct option is D

The National Education Policy (2020) recommends the establishment of the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC). The HECI will be an overarching regulatory body for higher education in India, excluding medical and legal education. It is proposed to have four distinct verticals, which are:
1. National Higher Educational Regulatory Council (NHERC): This will regulate higher education institutions in terms of standards and norms.
2. General Education Council (GEC): This council will define the standards for higher education institutions and design the expected learning outcomes.
3. National Accreditation Council (NAC): This vertical will handle the accreditation of higher education institutions, ensuring quality benchmarks.
4. Higher Education Grants Council (HEGC): This body will replace the UGC's function of disbursing grants to higher education institutions.
· The Medical Council of India (MCI) is not part of the HECI, as the regulation of medical education falls under separate entities.
Information Booster 1. HECI is expected to streamline regulation and improve the quality of higher education across India, replacing the UGC.
2. NHERC will focus on light but tight regulation to ensure that institutions meet minimum standards.
3. The GEC will work towards the development of National Higher Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF), aligned with National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF).
4. NAC will ensure that educational institutions are evaluated based on their performance and quality, pushing for continuous improvement.