January 21, 2025
📰 FEATURE STORY
Are the new UGC draft guidelines the right approach?
Education isn’t merely the acquisition of degrees. It should be a transformational tool that empowers people and societies. In India, education is intertwined with social, cultural, and religious identities. That said, policies are in place to transform Indian education in accordance with evolving global standards and needs. The University Grants Commission (UGC) spearheads that change in many ways.
The UGC’s latest move is the draft regulations – Minimum Qualifications for Appointment and Promotion of Teachers and Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education. Its objectives are to represent the National Education Policy’s (NEP) goals and remove ambiguities in selecting Vice Chancellors (VCs), among others. But not everyone is happy. Is the UGC’s approach right?
Context
The 2020 NEP replaced the 34-year-old NEP of 1986 and was introduced to transform and revamp India’s education system. The overall goal is to bridge gaps in the quality, equity, and access to education at all levels. It outlined a roadmap for universal foundational literacy, holistic curriculum development, and integrating academic and vocational education.
The UGC has periodically introduced new guidelines and policy initiatives to ensure the education system aligns with the 2020 NEP. Among its previous proposals were to introduce new-age courses and identify academic programmes that could be converted to degree courses. Higher educational institutions can provide degree-level courses in subjects like Public Policy and Indian Knowledge Systems.
The latest set of proposals from the UGC has garnered some attention. On 23rd December, the UGC approved the Draft UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) Regulations, 2025.
The UGC wants to change faculty recruitment and promotion by enhancing flexibility and inclusivity. For example, people can qualify for faculty positions based on their performance in a subject of their choice in UGC-NET, even if their UG or PG degrees are in different disciplines.
The Academic Performance Indicator (API) system relied on quantitative metrics and reduced academic performance to numerical scores. The latest regulations remove this type of shortlisting for a more qualitative approach. Selection committees will assess candidates based on their broader impact, like teaching methodologies and book writing.
One of the new regulations concerns the selection of VCs. The proposal aims to change the selection process and expand the eligibility criteria to include professionals from research institutions, academia, industry, and public policy.
Following the release of the new guidelines, several state governments were unhappy. Opposition-ruled states in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka have opposed them, citing a “direct assault on state rights” and “an overreach by the Centre”.
Are some states standing in the way of transforming Indian education, or are they in the right?
VIEW: UGC has it right
The UGC Regulations of 2018 had little modification in 2019. The UGC’s new guidelines envision a more dynamic future for the higher education sector, especially at the college and university levels. The result will be a broader talent pool and make appointments more inclusive and flexible. That’s why college teacher appointments, promotions, and appointments of VCs are prominent. To have a flexible and interdisciplinary approach outlined by the 2020 NEP, candidates don’t need to study the same subject for UG and PG. They will now be chosen based on their highest level of study and research. Students interested in teaching can take up a wider variety of subjects.
Appointments of VCs have always been controversial and subject to legal disputes. Historical incidents of corruption and nepotism have reflected poorly on universities and the states. Under new guidelines, the Chancellor is solely responsible for appointing a VC. They’ll form a three-member search and selection committee comprised of eminent persons not connected with the particular university. The UGC doesn’t want any outside influence creeping in during this process.
To become a VC, candidates previously had to be “distinguished academicians” with at least a decade of experience as a professor or in a prominent academic or administrative role. They had to have some experience in academic leadership. The criteria have been expanded to include people with at least 10 years of experience in public policy, administration, the public sector, or industry. The result will be an expanded talent pool.
COUNTERVIEW: States are right to oppose
The draft proposal will have significant implications for states governed by opposition parties where conflicts between the states and governors over the appointment of VCs have been regular. Some in academia are worried about the inclusion of industry experts. Previously, some were allowed through the Professor of Practice scheme. If more of them have direct access to high administrative positions in universities, it could inevitably lead to the privatisation of higher education and creeping vested interests.
The appointment of VCs is important since they represent the university, both inside and outside the country. According to some states, the selection process welcomes the Centre’s interference. Take Tamil Nadu, for example. The state government forms the committee to select VCs, but the governor doesn’t approve them. The guidelines give the governor-cum-chancellor power to constitute the 3-member search and selection committee. The CPI(M) said this is part of the Centre’s plan to use the UGC to further communalise and polarise.
The Delhi University-based teacher’s group, the Academics for Action and Development Teachers Association (AADTA) said the new guidelines will dilute the quality of education as they were concerned about the promotion criteria for ad-hoc and assistant professors. The requirement of a UGC-mandated selection committee for ad hoc appointments will nullify the benefit of previous service. There are also concerns about promoting assistant professors to the first level for which a PhD is now mandatory. This puts additional pressure on a teacher who was recruited right after clearing NET. They’ll have to teach and complete their PhDs before their first promotion.
Reference Links:
- UGC proposes overhaul of recruitment norms for Assistant Professors, Vice Chancellors – The New Indian Express
- A new era for Indian HEIs: UGC introduces holistic faculty selection guidelines 2025 – ET Education
- Explained: How UGC Plans To Reshape Academic Careers By Making NET Optional – NDTV
- Criticism of draft UGC regulations ignore their potential – The Indian Express
- UGC draft norms for recruiting V-Cs: Political implications & why there’s resistance from academia – The Print
What is your opinion on this?
(Only subscribers can participate in polls)
a) The new UGC draft guidelines are the right approach.
b) The new UGC draft guidelines are the wrong approach.
Previous poll’s results:
- Meta’s fact-checking change is the right call: 45.8%
- Meta’s fact-checking change is the wrong call: 54.2% 🏆
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