University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked for feedback from various stakeholders to draft regulations for the appointment of professors and academic staff in colleges and universities.
The proposed regulations (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and other Academic Staff in universities and colleges and measures for the maintenance of standards in higher education, 2018) by UGC list the minimum qualification for appointment of teachers and academic staff in universities and colleges.
The minimum current eligibility is National Eligibility Test (NET) for the position of assistant professor and equivalent positions. Along with this, a PhD degree is a mandatory for the promotion and appointment to the post of associate professors.
“The PhD degree shall be a mandatory qualification for promotion to the post of assistant professors in universities. The PhD degree shall be a mandatory qualification for direct recruitment to the post of assistant professor in universities with effect from 1.07.21. For promotion to the post of assistant professor in colleges, the PhD shall be a mandatory qualification if the date of eligibility falls on it after 1.07.21,” says the draft.
A person who has done a PhD degree from an institute or university with a ranking within top 500 in the recent ranking issued by the Times Higher Education (THE), World University ranking by QS, and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), he or she is eligible to be hired as a assistant professor through direct recruitment.
The draft regulations state that the workload of the teachers should not be less than 40 hours a week for 30 working weeks (180 teaching days) in an academic year during a full-time employment. The regulations also suggest an induction programme of one month for assistant professors.
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