The mandatory requirement of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree for recruitment of Assistant Professors has been postponed by the University Grants Commission (UGC) till July 2023. This means, aspirants who don’t have a PhD degree can also apply for the posts of Assistant Professor for the time being. As per the new norm, PhD degree is not required till 2023 while hiring qualified candidates will continue on the basis of the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) score. An official letter from the commission reads, “University Grant Commission has made an amendment in the UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and Other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education), Regulation, 2018 regarding clause 3.10 that stipulates the PhD degree shall be a mandatory qualification for direct recruitment to the post of Assistant Professor in Department of the Universities w.e.f. July 1, 2023”. Furthermore, this decision has been taken by the commission because of the COVID-19 pandemic that brought the research work of PhD seeking candidates to a standstill for one-and-a-half years. Students who were not able to finish their PhDs amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis, earlier this year, went to the central government and appealed to relax the eligibility for them this year. In 2018, the commission had set the criteria for recruitment at universities and colleges for entry-level vacancies. During that time, they had given a three-year window to candidates to complete their PhDs. The UGC had also directed all universities and colleges to start applying the recruitment criteria from the 2021-22 academic session. With this new norm and move, it is likely to fill vacant faculty posts across higher education institutes faster than usual in the country. As per the current standards, applicants who qualify for teacher eligibility test in State Eligibility Test (SET), State Level Eligibility Test (SLET), and NET are eligible to apply for the post of Assistant Professor. Students who have got a PhD degree following all UGC regulations will be excused from the essential requirement of the minimum eligibility criteria.
The mandatory requirement has been pushed back keeping in mind the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought research work to a standstill for one-and-a-half years
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