UGC drops PhD as a mandate to hire assistant professors

UGC drops Ph.D. as a mandate to hire assistant professors

The amendment made by UGC is valid from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2023

University Grants Commission's (UGC) announcement that a Ph.D. is not mandatory for the appointment of assistant professors at University departments coincides with the Central government's directions to centrally funded higher education institutes (HEIS) to fill vacant teaching positions on a war footing.

Reason for the crunch

Tapati Mukhopadhyay, president of, Maharashtra Federation of University and College Teachers' Organisation, says, "The government had stopped the recruitment process for all posts of edu cationists in universities a few years ago. Since then, there has been a crunch."
Why Ph.D. is essential Kesab Bhattacharya, president, All India Federation of University and College Teachers' Organisation (AIFUC TO), says, that for recruitment of professors, while academic excellence is a priority, accommodations need to be made for non-PhD holders as well. "Young academic professionals, who do not have a Ph.D. contribute much to the teaching and learning process," he says.

Yogesh Singh, vice-chancellor, DU says that Ph.D. should not be the sole criteria to hire professors. "We have to judge candidates on different qualities, including their teaching abilities and academic excellence," he says.

Increase in applicants

Singh says with a Ph.D. no more a barrier for many hopefuls, a larger group of people will get the opportunity to apply for a teaching position.

Bhattacharya says that there are cases where obtaining a Ph.D. might take time.

"Since this affects their eligibility to apply for a teacher's post, we might lose out on good candidates," he says.

Hiring may be affected

"Since the talent pool will increase, universities will have more options. However, whether this will lead to a change in the current faculty crunch is not yet a surety," says Singh.

From - The Times of India

Published on- 25 October 2021