UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — A Bill that reimagines higher education regulation

Q1. With reference to the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) proposed under the 2025 Bill, consider the following bodies: 1. Viksit Bharat Shiksha Viniyaman Parishad (Regulatory Council) 2. Viksit Bharat Shiksha Gunvatta Parishad (Accreditation Council) 3. Viksit Bharat Shiksha Manak Parishad (Standards Council) 4. Viksit Bharat Shiksha Anudaan Parishad (Funding Council) Which of the above is/are correctly identified as Councils to be established under the VBSA?

  1. Viksit Bharat Shiksha Viniyaman Parishad (Regulatory Council)
  2. Viksit Bharat Shiksha Gunvatta Parishad (Accreditation Council)
  3. Viksit Bharat Shiksha Manak Parishad (Standards Council)
  4. Viksit Bharat Shiksha Anudaan Parishad (Funding Council)
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q2. The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, provides for the establishment of an apex body along with how many independent Councils to handle the functions of regulation, accreditation and standard-setting in higher education?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q3. With reference to how the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, departs from the existing UGC–AICTE–NCTE regulatory architecture, consider the following statements: 1. The Bill replaces three separate statutory regulators with a single apex commission having three internal Councils. 2. Unlike the University Grants Commission, the VBSA and its Councils are not vested with powers over funding/grants to higher educational institutions. 3. The Bill brings legal education and medical education for the first time under a unified higher-education regulator, ending separate Council-based regulation in these streams. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Bill replaces three separate statutory regulators with a single apex commission having three internal Councils.
  2. Unlike the University Grants Commission, the VBSA and its Councils are not vested with powers over funding/grants to higher educational institutions.
  3. The Bill brings legal education and medical education for the first time under a unified higher-education regulator, ending separate Council-based regulation in these streams.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. Under the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, the 'Viksit Bharat Shiksha Manak Parishad' is best described as the Council responsible for:

  • A. functioning as the common regulator ensuring coordination and maintenance of standards across higher educational institutions
  • B. specifying and synchronising the minimum academic standards in higher educational institutions
  • C. acting as an independent accrediting authority overseeing the accreditation ecosystem
  • D. disbursing central grants and maintenance funding to universities and colleges
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