UGC Reverses PhD Requirement for Assistant Professor Recruitment, Sets NET as Minimum Criterion

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has recently announced revised regulations stating that the National Eligibility Test (NET), State Eligibility Test (SET), and State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) will now serve as the minimum criteria for direct recruitment to the position of assistant professor in all universities and colleges. These regulations, which were announced on June 30, 2023, have come into effect from July 1, 2023.

According to the UGC's notice, "NET/SET/SLET shall be the minimum criteria for the direct recruitment to the post of Assistant Professor for all Higher Education Institutions." This amendment replaces the previous sub-regulation of the UGC. The primary objective of this amendment is to uphold and elevate the quality of education in higher education institutions by ensuring that candidates have successfully cleared the required eligibility tests for the role of assistant professor.

In 2018, the former Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD), Prakash Javadekar, made an announcement stating that a PhD would be mandatory for assistant teachers' positions at universities and colleges. A three-year timeframe was provided for candidates to complete their PhDs, and all educational institutions were instructed to implement this criterion for recruitment starting from the 2021-22 academic session. However, in 2021, the University Grants Commission (UGC) extended the deadline for the applicability of a PhD as the minimum qualification for the recruitment of assistant professors in universities from July 2021 to July 2023.

Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, the chairperson of UGC, took to his Twitter handle to share the news that a PhD qualification for appointment as an assistant professor would now be optional.