The University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) have decided to adopt a cluster approach. This approach seeks to club officers of both the regulators (UGC and AICTE) to deal with similar functions.

The decision was taken on September 21, Wednesday, at a meeting of all the bureau heads of the technical education and higher education regulators. UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar, who is also the interim chairperson of AICTE, noted the need for unified functioning, undeviating regulatory framework and standardised processes in the meeting, as per a report by PTI.

"In the meeting both the regulators agreed to work mutually in areas of research and innovation, e-governance, translation of books in regional languages and examination reforms, among others," he said. He also emphasised that both the higher education regulators must work in a synchronised manner, learn from each other, share and adopt each other's best practices and have a coordinated approach towards different aspects of higher education.

"Post detailed deliberations, it emerged that both the UGC and the AICTE must share a symbiotic relationship and mutually work on matters such as faculty development programme, students and faculty induction programme, skill development, internships, internationalisation, pursuing two degrees simultaneously in physical, online, hybrid mode and Indian Knowledge System and universal human values, among others," Kumar said, as per PTI.