Analysis: What the new UGC regulations on recruitment mean for academics, from assistant professor to VC

NEW DELHI: “Flexibility, inclusivity, enhanced governance, transparency and accountability” – these, according to the government, are the qualities that characterise the draft University Grants Commission (UGC) 2025 regulations for appointment and promotion of teachers and academic staff in higher education.

However, as teachers across universities decode the proposed rules, they highlight problems with introduction of “subjective” criteria for selection and promotion, undue powers handed over to the selection committee, destroying the academic rigour by allowing those with undergraduate and PhD degrees to teach, and dilution of “autonomy”.

If approved, the new regulations will replace the 2018 norms and introduce new rules.

UGC draft regulations: Choice of PhD, NET subject

The UGC draft states: “If the discipline/subject chosen in the 4-year undergraduate programme (NCrF level 6) or postgraduate programme (NCrF level 6.5/7) is different from the chosen discipline/subject in Ph.D/NET/SE the discipline/subject in which a candidate obtained Ph.D/NET/SET shall be considered eligible for appointment as assistant professor, associate professor or professor in that discipline/subject.

With this clause, most teachers believe that the concept of “core competency” is being diluted.

Moushami Basu, president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA), said, “With this draft the crisis in higher education is deepening further. In our times, we used to talk about core competency – that is now being diluted further.”

Pankaj Garg, associate professor of mathematics at a Delhi University college, agreed. “The UGC first removed the criterion that one had to appear for NET in the same subject they had studied for UG/PG and is now also making it so for the recruitment process.” The UGC National Eligibility Test is conducted for the recruitment of assistant professors and selection of candidates for Junior Research Fellowships.

However, opinion on this clause is divided. Some academics believe that it might help, on the condition that a candidate’s PhD thesis is analysed in detail.

Debraj Mookerjee, associate professor of English, Delhi University, said, “Till now recruitment was not cross disciplinary. For instance, a candidate has completed his masters in English, but done PhD in gender studies. He/she should get a chance to teach a paper in English because in English literature, various kinds of marginalisation are discussed. There are different kinds of specialisation and social sciences do not exist in silos. You will be known as a professor of English with books on gender studies. So, it is important to look into the content of the PhD rather than the department. If the work done moulds with the overall pedagogical objectives, one must not be excluded because of the level. This is what UGC regulation is saying and so, I support it. Studying was interdisciplinary but recruitment was in silos. But it is important that assessment of research work is done.”

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UGC Regulations Clause 3.8: ‘Notable contributions’

In another change, a list of nine “notable contributions” have been introduced in the criteria for recruitment and promotion of college and university teachers. .

As per the proposed regulations, these are:

• Innovative teaching contribution
• Research or teaching lab development
• Consultancy or sponsored research funding as a principal Investigator or co-principal investigator
• Teaching contributions in Indian languages
• Teaching-learning and research in Indian Knowledge System
• Student internship or project supervision
• Digital content creation for MOOCs
• Community engagement and service
• Start-up, as per the intellectual property policies of the HEI, registered with the Registrar of Companies (ROC) as a founding promoter, successfully raising funding through government, angel or venture funds to support the startup.

A teacher at a popular DU college highlighted how these contributions cannot be satisfied because of “infrastructure constraints, lack of resources and funding”.

He explained: “The promotion will be dependent on satisfying four contributions out of a total of nine mentioned. For instance, teaching in Indian languages is not possible in a central-government-funded higher educational institution that attracts students from all over India. Similarly, we cannot expect faculty members of every discipline to teach and conduct research in the Indian Knowledge System. Moreover, it is unrealistic to expect every faculty member to establish and register a start-up with the Registrar of Companies (ROC). Given the restricted funding from government agencies such as ICSSR and UGC, how can we expect every faculty member to undertake a research project?” He did not want to be named.

Further, he pointed out that the notable contributions are just broad and vague enough to create scope for corruption. “The guidelines do not provide detailed explanations of these nine contributions, thereby promoting discretion and corruption at the level of selection of cases for appointments as well as promotion.”

Basu described these as “extra curricular" activities. “These criteria listed for recruitment and promotion don't clearly match up with the actual skills that are required for a job.These are ways of only diluting the standards.”

Teachers groups believe these clauses will give huge advantage to those coming from the private-sector, market-driven ecosystem.

Partha Pratim Roy, general secretary of Jadavpur University Teachers Association, pointed out how demolishing the Academic Performance Indicator and using “subjective” rules will fuel problems.

“An important change they have done is demolishing the Academic Performance Indicator. They are demolishing the system of API. But in standard recruitment and promotion, if you don't have standard rules then it becomes a problem as there will be more power in the hands of the selection committee. If I am a member of the selection committee, I can choose anybody. In West Bengal there is a lot of political influence. This is not good. Similarly for promotion, they have not set objective rules,” said Roy.

The section on appointment of Professor of Practice, which allows 10% of the posts to be filled by industry experts, has no such criteria specified.

Selection committees grow powerful

Clause 3.11 of the draft states that research publications should be in peer-reviewed journals and the book chapter or book must be published by a recognised academic or professional publisher with a reputation for rigorous peer review and quality editing.

“Self-published book chapters or books will not be considered. The selection committee shall decide whether the research publications are in a peer-reviewed journal, whether the publication of a book/book chapter is by a reputed publisher, and whether the contributions are notable, based on the recommendations of the three external subject experts of the selection committee constituted in accordance with these regulations,” it adds.

Teachers point out that while the “removal of UGC Care list“ is a positive development, it gives “selection committees the authority to decide whether a research journal is a peer-reviewed journal or not, and whether the publisher of a book is a reputed publisher or not, [and this] can promote bias and corruption”.

PhD compulsory for promotion of assistant professor

One of the clauses in the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) for promotion from academic level 11 to 12 requires a PhD degree in a “relevant or allied discipline”.

Earlier, PhD requirements were for promotion from academic level 12 to 13.

“The requirement of a PhD will create more problems for candidates from marginalised backgrounds. It will also create additional burden. It is important to point out that study leave for pursuing PhD is provided only after three years. They have not even spoken about changing this rule,” said Garg

Teacher with UG and PhD degrees

Clause 2 of the “direct recruitment of assistant professor” section states: “A UG degree (NCrF Level 6) with at least 75% marks or a PG degree (NCrF Level 6.5) with at least 55% marks (or an equivalent grade) and a PhD degree (NCrF Level 8).”

Rajesh Jha, associate professor of political science in a Delhi University college said: “Entry into teaching with a UG degree and PhD will dilute the quality of education as the person may be appointed as assistant professor and will be asked to teach UG and or PG students. For example, in subjects like sciences, mathematics etc. the PG course comprises very advanced versions of the concepts. Sometimes those concepts are introduced only in PG. The teacher without a PG degree may not have experience and so, this will be an injustice to the students and academics at large.”

Even Roy pointed to this as a “startling” change in the draft.

Teachers Recruitment: No counting of past services

The proposed UGC regulations also take away the university’s power to decide on how to account for past services of ad-hoc or contractual teachers at the point of recruitment to permanent posts.

The draft clause states: “The previous full-time ad-hoc or contractual service (by whatever nomenclature it may be called) shall be counted, provided that, in the case of Indian HEIs or research organisations, the incumbent was appointed on the recommendation of a duly constituted selection committee as per UGC regulations. In the case of international HEIs or research organisations, the incumbent was appointed as per the rules of the respective international HEIs or research organisations.”

Teachers find this problematic as previously, how past services were counted varied with the university. Now, the UGC has wrested that power away from the institutions.

Garg explained, “The 2018 regulation stated that counting of past services was accounted for in case of Indian HEIs or research organisations, the incumbent was appointed on the recommendation of a duly constituted selection committee as per rules of respective universities.”

In DU, for example, four years of service were counted during promotion and recruitment.

The draft UGC regulations also removes the cap on the proportion of contractual appointments – 10% of the total number of sanctioned posts as per the previous regulations.

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UGC Draft: Selection of vice chancellors

There are notable changes that have been introduced by the draft in terms of the selection committee for picking the candidate for the post, the age of superannuation, reappointment and having VC’s from outside academia.

As per the draft UGC regulations, “The Chancellor/Visitor shall constitute the Search cum Selection Committee comprising three experts. A nominee of the Visitor/Chancellor, who shall be the Chairperson of the Search cum Selection Committee.”

Jha said, “Allowing senior level functionaries in industries or NGOs is a sure-shot way to the transfer of universities and higher education institutions to the private players and industrial houses or corporations.”

While Mookerjee added, “As long as they are not politicians or bureaucrats and they are people of eminence and known in the area of culture, arts, science then the vice chancellor can be from outside the university system. But the Governor/Visitor should not appoint them, that is clear.”

The proposed regulations set the selection committee strength at three and mandate that the committee be chaired by a nominee of the Chancellor or Visitor, a second member be a UGC nominee and the third be appointed by the university’s highest body. State governments, starting with Tamil Nadu, have already started opposing this as an “assault on federalism”.

Two dates of promotion

The draft regulation states, “There will be only two dates of promotion, i.e., either 1 January or 1 July.”

A DU college teacher said, “The promotion date should be the actual eligible date and not just two as specified.” If recruitment is not biannual, promotion shouldn’t be either, teachers said.