The University Grants Commission (UGC) stated on Wednesday that a PhD will no longer be required to become an Assistant Professor. The UGC also declared that the National Eligibility Test (NET), State Eligibility Test (SET), and State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) would be the minimum requirement for direct recruitment to the position of Assistant Professor.
UGC Chairman Prof M Jagadesh Kumar stated on Twitter that PhD qualification for admission as an Assistant Professor would be optional beginning July 1, 2023.
"NET/SET/SLET shall be the minimum criteria for the direct recruitment to the post of Assistant Professor for all Higher Education Institutions," he said.
According to a June 30 UGC gazette notification, these regulations will now be known as the 'University Grants Commission (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and Other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Other Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) (2nd Amendment) Regulations, 2023.'
The notification stated that the 'University Grants Commission (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and Other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Other Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) Regulations, 2018.'
Meanwhile, officials said that the final results of the UGC-NET exams will be out in the second week of August. The test determines the eligibility of aspirants for 'Assistant Professor' and 'Junior Research Fellowship and Assistant Professor' in Indian universities and colleges.
UGC-NET is being conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) in Computer Based Test (CBT) mode from December 2018 onwards. The exams are conducted twice yearly - one in December and the other in June.
In 2021, UGC announced that PhD was not mandatory for the direct recruitment of Assistant Professors till July 2023.
