New Delhi, 14 March 2022: The University Grants Commission (UGC) is reportedly planning to amend its regulation of mandatory PhD requirements and UGC NET qualification for teaching at central universities to allow experts who do not have a PhD to fill special teaching positions .
As per the present UGC regulation, one needs to have a PhD qualification or pass the UGC NET qualification exam for teaching in central universities. However, UGC is planning to do away with its present regulation so that it can bring in experts and incorporate special positions, i.e., professor of practice and associate professor of practice.
UGC’s Decision To Do Away with PhD, NET: Details
- As per UGC Chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar, there are many experts who want to teach. There could be someone who has implemented large projects and has a lot of on-the-ground experience, or there could be a great dancer or a musician. But these experts can’t be appointed according to the present rules.
- In a meeting of the vice chancellors of central universities on 10 March, it was decided that a committee will be set up to work on the amendments in the regulations for teachers’ appointment, so that experienced people from different industries and professional fields who don’t have a PhD degree can join universities in academic positions.
- However, now, there would be no need for a PhD degree and the experts will just need to have demonstrated experience in a given domain.
- Experts who have crossed the age of 60 may join as full or part-time faculty till they turn 65.
Note:
- The progress in the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) was also discussed in the meeting.
- The UGC has also planned a centralized portal to keep a track and ensure appointments of teachers without delay.
- There were over 10,000 teaching positions lying vacant in centrally funded institutions, as per the Ministry of Education’s data in December 2021.
About UGC
The University Grants Commission (UGC) came into existence on 28 December 1953 and became a statutory organization of the Government of India by an Act of Parliament in 1956. It aims at coordination, determination, and maintenance of standards of teaching, examination, and research in university education.
