NCERT as a university: Promise, pressures and the path forward

In a significant shift in India’s education landscape, the Ministry of Education on March 30, 2026, notified the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), as a “deemed-to-be university”. The move comes amid heightened scrutiny, following a recent Supreme Court intervention over “derogatory” content in a Class 8 Social Science textbook, which led to its recall and an unconditional apology from NCERT.

Elevating the council from a curriculum advisory authority to a degree-granting institution could strengthen curriculum quality through deeper research. But, it also raises a critical question: How can NCERT be scaled up to fulfil the additional university-level responsibilities, without diluting its core mandate.