NEW DELHI: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has received the coveted status of a deemed university, as announced by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on September 1st. This significant announcement was made during the 63rd foundation day celebration of NCERT in the national capital.

Minister Pradhan declared, "Today, I am pleased to inform you that we are conferring deemed university status upon NCERT." In addition to this transformative decision, Pradhan advocated for the integration of Bal Bhavans and Bal Vatika into NCERT to offer a more comprehensive education for children.

NCERT, established in 1961 under the Society Act, has played a pivotal role in advising and supporting the government in matters pertaining to school education. Under specific circumstances and on the recommendation of the University Grants Commission (UGC), the Central government can bestow the title of 'Deemed-to-be-university' upon Institutions of Higher Education that demonstrate exceptional standards in a particular field of study.

Institutions with the 'deemed-to-be-university' status enjoy the same academic recognition and privileges as traditional universities. With this newly acquired status, NCERT will be empowered to confer graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral degrees.

Furthermore, during the event, Minister Pradhan inaugurated three laboratories, including one dedicated to virtual reality education and another focused on teacher training. In his address, he drew parallels between the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission and the potential of the National Education Policy (NEP). He asserted that NEP, like Chandrayaan-3, would undoubtedly achieve great success and be unstoppable.

Acknowledging NCERT's contribution to innovative projects, Pradhan stated, "The credit for the successful management of Chandrayaan-3 should also be attributed to NCERT, as it is where the seeds of such groundbreaking ideas are sown."

Additionally, Pradhan emphasized the significance of a newly formed committee within NCERT, tasked with reshaping the curriculum and textbooks for classes 3 to 12. This committee's primary objective is to align the curriculum with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE), a critical component of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020's implementation, guided by the leadership of the K Kasturirangan-led steering committee.

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