Parliamentary Panel Urges Education Ministry to Expedite Institutions of Eminence Scheme

Parliamentary panel asks Education Ministry to draw roadmap for remaining Institutions of Eminence, examine expansion of scheme

New Delhi, July 16

In its action-taken report, the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee said the Ministry's response to its earlier recommendations merely explained the procedural framework of the scheme and did not address the substantive concerns raised by the panel.

The panel submitted its 381st Report on Action Taken by the Government on the recommendations contained in the 364th Report on Demands for Grants (2025-26) in June.

The Committee noted that the Institutions of Eminence Scheme, also known as the World Class Institutions Scheme, was launched in 2017 with the objective of identifying 10 public and 10 private higher education institutions to emerge as world-class teaching and research institutions.

It was observed that despite nearly eight years having passed since the scheme was introduced, only 12 of the envisaged 20 institutions have been formally notified as Institutions of Eminence.

Earlier, while examining the Demands for Grants of the Department of Higher Education, the Committee had recommended that the Ministry expedite the process of notifying the remaining institutions under the scheme.

Responding to the recommendation, the Ministry of Education said the Committee's observations had been "duly noted" and explained the regulatory architecture of the programme.

The Ministry said the IoE Scheme was designed to provide selected institutions with substantial autonomy in academic, administrative and financial matters to enable them to evolve into globally competitive universities. It added that the scheme also provides financial support to the selected public institutions while private institutions receive regulatory autonomy.

According to the Ministry, institutions aspiring for the IoE tag are first evaluated by an Empowered Experts Committee (EEC) constituted under the scheme. The EEC examines applications submitted by eligible institutions and forwards its recommendations to the University Grants Commission (UGC). Based on these recommendations, the UGC submits the names of institutions to the Ministry of Education, which signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the selected institution before issuing the formal notification declaring it an Institution of Eminence.

The Ministry reiterated that this process is followed for all institutions seeking the status under the existing regulatory framework.

The Committee, however, said the Ministry's reply did not answer why the scheme remained incomplete despite being operational for several years.

"The Committee notes that the reply in the above recommendations is merely a repetition of the procedural framework of the IoE Scheme and does not address the concerns raised by the Committee," the report said.

The panel further observed that "even eight years after the launch of the scheme, only twelve out of the mandated twenty Institutions of Eminence have been notified."

Apart from raising concerns over the pace of implementation, the Committee also revisited its recommendation on broadening the scope of the scheme.

In its earlier report, the panel had pointed out that several prominent higher education institutions, particularly those known for excellence in social sciences, humanities and development studies, had not been included under the IoE programme.

The Committee had specifically cited Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), describing it as "widely regarded as among the world's foremost centres for research in social sciences, humanities and development studies," and recommended that the government consider expanding the scheme to accommodate such institutions.In response, the Ministry again said the recommendation had been "duly noted" and restated the existing selection mechanism under which applications are scrutinised by the Empowered Experts Committee, followed by recommendations from the UGC and notification by the Ministry.

The Committee expressed dissatisfaction with this response as well.

It observed that "the Committee's recommendation regarding expansion of the Scheme to include globally recognised institutions of the country excelling in social sciences, humanities and developmental studies, such as Jawaharlal Nehru University, has not been addressed by the Department."

Reiterating its earlier stand, the panel recommended that the Ministry prepare a time-bound roadmap for identifying and notifying the remaining eight Institutions of Eminence.

It also recommended that the Department of Higher Education conduct a feasibility study on expanding the Scheme's ambit so that other globally recognised institutions could also be considered under the programme.

The Committee said these steps would help fulfil the original objective of the Institutions of Eminence Scheme, which was envisioned as a flagship initiative to create globally competitive Indian universities through greater autonomy, improved governance and enhanced academic and research capabilities.

— ANI