The Ministry of Education on Monday reiterated that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been granted the status of an institution deemed to be a university. The Ministry further said that the deemed university status would strengthen NCERT’s role in promoting educational research and innovation and enable it to collaborate with national and international agencies. The notification released earlier this year also laid conditions governing NCERT’s functioning as a deemed university. As reported by The Indian Express in 2022, an assistant professor had cautioned the NCERT director that granting deemed university status could affect the council’s academic autonomy and increase its dependence on UGC regulations. The proposal, however, appears to have been set aside as the government proceeded with the deemed university route.