Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has written to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, urging him to reconsider the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhiniyam Bill, 2025, citing concerns that the legislation could lead to centralisation of power and make higher education more expensive. In his letter, Mann stated that the bill could weaken opportunities for students from ordinary families and diminish the ability of states to address local educational needs. He emphasised that higher education must remain a pathway of opportunity for all, regardless of their background.
Mann also expressed concern that the proposed legislation could increase costs and centralise decision-making, rather than making higher education more accessible, affordable, and inclusive. He asserted that India’s progress depends on making higher education more accessible and inclusive through greater investment in universities, infrastructure, faculty, and research. Mann stated that he is writing not merely as the chief minister of Punjab but as a representative of crores of parents across India whose biggest hopes are linked to the education of their children.
He said that every family wants their child to receive quality education, stand on their own feet, secure dignified employment, and contribute to the progress of the nation. Mann initially hoped that the proposed legislation would strengthen the quality, accountability, and global competitiveness of higher educational institutions. However, after carefully studying the bill, he has serious concerns that it seeks to centralise most important decisions relating to higher education, with far-reaching consequences for students, teachers, universities, and state governments.
He claimed that the bill appears to focus more on centralisation of power than on improving educational quality. Mann said that the success of an education system depends upon how effectively it understands the needs of students, teachers, and local communities. In a country as vast and diverse as India, every state faces different social, economic, and educational challenges.
He stated that it was natural to expect legislation on higher education to focus on quality, research, innovation, employability, and global competitiveness. However, after studying the bill, it appeared that its primary objective was to concentrate policy-making powers, standards, regulations, recognition mechanisms, and appellate powers in the hands of the Union government. Mann expressed concern that the proposed legislation could disturb the constitutional balance between the Union government and state governments, as education is a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution.
He stated that his concern is not merely about the rights of states but also about the future of crores of students. Every state in India is battling different challenges, and border states like Punjab face even more complex realities. Mann also drew attention to the issue of centralisation, referring to the functioning of central institutions such as the National Testing Agency.
He questioned whether further centralisation of higher education is really the right direction, given the challenges faced by central institutions. If most powers are concentrated with the Union government, and the role of state governments continues to shrink, Mann asked where the financial resources required for the operation and development of these institutions will come from.
