Constitutional basis of higher education – UGC NET Question

Statements A and B correctly reflect the constitutional scheme for higher education. Education, including higher education, appears in the Concurrent List after the 42nd Amendment, so both the Union and States have roles, which makes statement A correct. Entry 66 of the Union List gives the Union exclusive power for coordination and determination of standards in higher education, so statement B is also correct. Statement C is incorrect because central universities are established by Acts of Parliament, not solely by State Governments. Statement D is incorrect because private universities can be established under specific State Acts subject to regulatory norms.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it includes both statements A and B, which accurately describe the shared and exclusive constitutional responsibilities in higher education. It excludes C, which wrongly attributes central universities to States alone, and D, which wrongly denies the possibility of private universities. The combination therefore matches the true statements only.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because, although it includes A and B which are true, it also includes C which is false. Central universities are set up by Parliament on behalf of the Union Government, not exclusively by States. Including a wrong statement makes the whole combination incorrect.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it excludes statement A, which is true about education being in the Concurrent List, and includes statement C, which is false about central universities. Even though it includes B, the presence of a false statement invalidates the option.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it treats all four statements A, B, C and D as correct. While A and B are true, C and D are clearly false. Since a correct combination must exclude false statements, this option cannot be the right answer.