UGC to Form Committee to Monitor Faculty Appointments, Awarding of PhD Degrees

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to set up a committee that will evaluate faculty appointments as well as look into the awarding of PhDs at higher education institutions (HEIs) on a timely basis. The Commission plans to establish this team in a bid to check the violation of regulations. This decision was finalised at the 568th meeting of the Commission held on April 24, 2023.

“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,” UGC Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar said.

The necessity for this standing committee came up owing to the instances of appointment standards being violated over the years – that has later resulted in several complaints to regulatory bodies.

Explaining more about the Committee, Kumar stated that the team will meet at regular intervals throughout the year to choose a few institutions, gather information on faculty appointments and keep records on the award of Ph.D. degrees. They will also verify documents to ensure that all the recruitment process of teacher appointments and Ph.D. degree awards follows the UGC regulations. The standing committee will also recommend appropriate actions, in case of any violation.

Two of the regulations which will specify the minimum eligibility criteria for the appointment or promotion of teachers and award of PhD degrees include:

– Commission’s regulation on minimum qualification for appointment of teachers as well as other academic staff in universities and colleges along with the measures for the maintenance of standards in higher education, 2018.

– And Commission’s (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022.

Both the above regulations will establish the criteria for choosing eligible candidates for teacher appointments and upholding the quality of research degrees given at HEIs. Furthermore, the agreement with these regulations is also mandatory.