New Delhi: The University Grants Commission, in its 568th Meeting held on April 24, 2023, has decided to form a standing committee to check violations in the appointment of teachers and award of Ph.D. degrees in Higher educational institutions.
According to UGC officials, the Committee shall meet at regular intervals, select a few institutions, collect information regarding faculty appointments and award of Ph.D. degrees, and verify documents to ascertain whether the process of appointment of teachers and award of Ph.D. degrees is in conformity with UGC Regulations, and recommend appropriate actions, in case of violations.
“The role of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in nurturing intellectuals and imparting knowledge to the nation’s growth is well known. The UGC, with the mandate to promote and coordinate University education, notifies, among other things, regulations to ensure the quality of the teachers and the quality of research degrees from time to time. The quality of higher education, to a large extent, depends on the quality of those who impart it and the way research is promoted,” said UGC Chairman, M. Jagadesh Kumar.
The current UGC regulations which are under operation are ‘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 ‘ and ‘University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022 .’
Both regulations set the conditions for determining and maintaining standards in selecting candidates for the appointment of teachers and quality of research degrees awarded in HEIs and are mandatory. However, despite the Regulations, complaints from stakeholders about violations of the Regulations mentioned above are not uncommon.
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