Dr. Rajnish Jain is Secretary at the University Grants Commission (UGC), which is the highest regulatory agency for higher education in India. Under his stewardship, the UGC has made significant advances in promoting quality higher education and implementing the National Education Policy 2020 in areas of multidisciplinary and holistic education, governance and curricular reforms, internationalization, skill education, digitalization of higher education, along with increasing access and promotion of gender and social equity in higher education. For over 33 years, Dr. Jain has made significant contributions as a teacher, researcher, trainer, administrator, and policymaker. Before his appointment as Secretary of UGC, he was a Professor at the Institute of Management Studies at Devi Ahilya University, Indore, and Nirma University, Ahmedabad, among other institutions. He has developed several academic courses and programs and has organized management development and training programs for organization of the public and private sector. His research and publications are in quality education, value-based education, services management, strategic management, and customer experience. He has guided 15 PhD research scholars. He represented India in numerous bilateral and multilateral forums for effective external stakeholder relationships and strategic engagement with foreign countries.
Home Institution: The University Grants Commission was established by an Act of Parliament in 1956 and is a statutory body under the aegis of the Indian Ministry of Education. The organization is responsible for coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education in the country. India has a large postsecondary education system with more than 1,000 universities and over 42,000 colleges. The number of students enrolled in higher education is currently about 40 million across India. The UGC undertakes initiatives for access, equity, quality, affordability, accountability, excellence, and internationalization in higher education. It provides regulatory architecture, policy frameworks and guidelines, along with financial support to higher education institutions, faculty members and students. The UGC’s main office is in New Delhi, and it has six regional centers in Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Guwahati, and Bengaluru.