UGC Sends Circular To Universities On Bhartiya Shiksha Board Of Yoga Guru Ramdev

In a communication to all universities, the Universities Grants Commission or UGC, one of the national level higher education regulators, has notified that Haridwar-based Bhartiya Shiksha Board has been approved as a school education board for equivalence for the purpose of higher studies. The UGC has said in its notification that the information on Bhartiya Shiksha Board, helmed by Yoga guru Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, billionaire businessman and chairman of the consumer goods company Patanjali Ayurved, was shared earlier by the education ministry in February this year.

“Kindly find enclosed herewith a copy of the communication No.11-3/2016 Sch.3 dated 3rd February 2023 from Ministry of Education regarding list of School Education Board (at National Level), for information and further appropriate action. The list includes Bhartiya Shiksha Board, Haridwar as a National School Boards under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India,” the UGC circular to universities said.

The governing body of the Bhartiya Shiksha Board is the Bhartiya Shiksha Board Society, formed and registered under the Society’s Registration Act of 1935. The Governing Body comprises Swami Govind Giri, Ramdev, Prof. Shrinivasa Varakhedi, Acharya Balkrishna, Dr. Nagendra Prasad Singh, IAS, Dr. Punam Suri and Giridhar Malaviya.

Earlier, another higher education regulator, All India Council For Technical Education or AICTE, has also sent circulars in this regard to affiliated institutions in technical and management fields.

Currently, India has five national educational boards. Out of these five, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) com under education ministry’s department of school education and literacy, while Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Veda Sanskrit Shiksha Board, Ujjain and Bhartiya Shiksha Board, Haridwar comes under department of higher education.

Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, that conducts the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) is recognised as a private national board.

Bhartiya Shiksha Board aims to “promote respect for Bharat’s unique multicultural identity through pan-India textbooks that demonstrate Bharat’s unique unity through the amalgamation of regional literature from all states of Bharat,” according to its mission statement.