UGC Full Form: University Grants Commission

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April 3, 2024
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What is UGC Full Form?

UGC Full form stands for University Grants Commission. It comes Under the aegis of the Ministry of Human Resources Development & affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education. The Indian Union Government controls this activity in connection with the UGC Act 1956.

Brief History of UGC

  • In 1947, a commission was formed to control the activities of all universities in India.
  • S. Radhakrishnan established a commission to further enhance Indian university education.
  • In 1949 the commission handed over its report to renovate the University Grants Board and in 1950, the Indian government pronounced that the UGC would  present particular grants to universities and higher education institutions across the country
  • On 28th December 1953, the commission was ultimately inaugurated by Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Minister of Education, Natural Resources & Scientific Research.

UGC Chairman

Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar is the UGC Chairman. He is also a professor of Electrical engineering at IIT Delhi. He also served as the 12th Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (Jan 2016 – Feb 2022). His major work is in the Nanoelectric field.

Activities of UGC

The University Grants Commission (UGC, abbreviated for UGC Full form) holds related responsibilities.

  1. Distributing grants to colleges and universities using its funds for development or other general purposes.
  2. UGC advises the distribution of the Consolidated Fund of India to universities while coordinating with both the national and state governments for this purpose.
  3. To compile data on international and Indian universities’ education and analyze the data for further submission to the government.
  4. UGC distributes scholarships to colleges and universities while tracking changes in the higher education sector.
  5. Its Countrywide classroom teachings and a four-year-old 24-hour educational channel ‘Vyas’ enroll students in various education programs in various streams.
  6.  The National Test Agency (NTA) conducts the exams such as CSIR NET, and UGC NET. CSIR NET AND UGC NET are conducted twice a year for assistant professors and junior research fellowships. ICAR NET is conducted by the Agricultural Scientist Recruitment Board for assistant professors.
  7. One of the main functions of UGC is to Conduct National Eligibility Test (NET)  smoothly through its National Educational Testing Bureau in a bid to determine eligibility for lectureship. The majority of reputed universities in the country also recruit teachers through NET. The minimum required parameters such as age limit, minimum education,. UGC is the governing body of it.
  8. NAAC is abbreviated as National Assessment and Accreditation Council, established by UGC in sept,1994 in Bangalore to evaluate the performance of the country’s universities and colleges by setting some predefined set of parameters as a benchmark and the assessment is voluntary, not mandatory.

UGC NET full form

UGC conducts NET( National Eligibility Test), which is an exam for the recruitment of assistant professors as well as Junior research fellowship grants in Indian universities as well as colleges.

  1. To apply, you need a master’s degree from a UGC-approved university with a minimum average of 55% or 50% (for reserved category). Final-year students can also apply.
  2. Various career options like Program Executive, Center Manager, IP Lead, Guest faculty, Consultant, etc. are available after UGC NET.
  3.  Assistant professor -25,000 to 50,000(pm) at the start and it can vary according to the skills one possesses. In the respective field, we can give junior research fellows fellowships of 31000 for the first two years, along with an increment.
  4. One can directly sit for an interview for a Ph.D. if NET is qualified. Also, we will give preference to candidates with previous research experiences.
  5. Frontiers in Immunology, Perspectives in Clinical Research, Chemical Society Reviews, and Review of Economic Studies are some of the journals of UGC NET.

Functions of UGC

The functions of UGC include

  • Keep in touch with various higher education institutions, state and union governments, and other relevant parties.
  • examines the rapidly growing number of colleges and universities in the region.
  • Set up benchmarks for exams, such as CSIR NET, UGC Net, and ICAR Net.
  • Develop ideas for the fundamentals of education.
  • Provide the federal and state governments with recommendations for mandatory enhancements in universities and other higher education establishments.

UGC Scholarship

UGC Scholarship: To assist students nationwide in pursuing higher education, the government of India’s University Grants Commission (UGC), a reputable statutory body housed under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, offers a variety of scholarships. Providing financial aid for college and university-level studies is the primary goal of a UGC scholarship. These scholarships are available to deserving students as well as meritorious ones. Every year, the University Grants Commission provides over 20,000 students with UGC fellowships and scholarships to meet their needs.

Eligibility Criteria for UGC Scholarship:

  • Only female students are eligible for the scholarship, and the maximum age is 30.
  • The applicant should be the family’s only girl child.
  • A recognized university or college must have admitted the applicant to the first year of a regular, full-time postgraduate program.

UGC Scholarship per annum: INR 36,200 per annum for 2 years

Professional Council of UGC 

1. All Indian Council For Technical Education

AICTE established itself in Nov 1945 as a central-level governing body to promote technical education development in the country and manage its operations in an organized manner.

2. Indian Council of Agricultural Research

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is in charge of managing agricultural education and research in India which appears in front of the Ministry of Agriculture.

3. Bar Council of India

 It is the regulatory body for the national and state bar associations in the country and manages its operations.

4. The National Council for Teaching Education

 NCTE, a constitutional body of the Indian government was set up under the National Council for Teacher Education Act, of 1993 to formally supervise the standards, activities, and processes followed by the institutions in the Indian education system.

5. Rehabilitation Council of India

This Government body regulates training programs and courses targeted at disabled, disadvantaged, and special education requirement communities.

6. Pharmacy Council of India

This government body makes the practice of pharmacy better in the country.

7. Medical Council of India/National Medical Commission

 This body ensures the availability of top-quality medical professionals in all parts of the country and also provides quality and affordable medical education.

8. Indian Nursing Council

 It comes under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and provides nurse education in India.

9. Dental Council of India

 It regulates dental education in India. The Dentist Act incorporated it in 1948.

10. National Council for Rural Institutes

It develops and gives curriculum inputs for higher education programs offered by universities and other autonomous institutions in India.

11. Council of Architecture

It is responsible for the education and practice profession of architecture throughout India. It formed in 1972.

12. Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy

It comes under the Ministry of Ayush and promotes homeopathy in the country to provide cheaper and quality treatment solutions.

13. Central Council of Indian Medicine

It comes under the Ministry of Ayush and it ensures the maintenance of standards of education in medicine, including Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and sowa-rigpa.

14. Various State Council of Higher Education

Councils of various states come under this Government body. It is responsible as the governing body for higher education in the country.

Conclusion

UGC full form stands for University Grants Commission and it comes under the Ministry of Human Resources and Development and is also affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education. It came into full power in 1953 after the commission was launched by Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad. Since then, UGC has been performing various functions and making various efforts to increase the standard of education and profession in the country by providing funds, making rules and regulations, and increasing academic culture in the universities. Various councils also come under UGC to strengthen the roots of India in education in different fields.

If you want to learn about topics along with the UGC full form click the links given below:-

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UGC Full Form: FAQs

What does UGC full form stand for?

It stands for the University Grants Commission.

When was UGC founded?

UGC was founded on 28 December 1953, by Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad.

Who is the current and first head of UGC?

The current head is Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar and the first secretary was Shri Samuel Mathai.

Who is the current union minister of the Ministry of Health & Resources Department?

Dharmendra Pradhan is the current union Minister of the HRD department.

How many members are there in UGC?

A chairman, a vice chairman, and ten other members are appointed by the central government.

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