In a move that could initiate the end of the old school licensing system in higher education, the Human Resource Development Ministry, led by Kapil Sibal, has decided to put under scrutiny both the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

“As per the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) and Prof Yashpal Committee recommendations, both the AICTE and UGC will have to come under review, and the process will start soon,” sources said. Sources confirmed that with the President on Thursday announcing that a national council for higher education would be set up in the next 100 days, a parallel review of both regulatory bodies would be conducted to examine their utility and role in a structure with a supra regulatory body.

The proposal for a national council had been gathering dust through former HRD minister Arjun Singh's tenure. But now both the NKC and Prof Yashpal-led Committee on Rejuvenation of Higher Education's recommendations could be embraced. Both had recommended that the UGC and AICTE should be scrapped and instead an overarching regulatory body be instituted to end the multiplicity of regulatory bodies.