Manoj Jha writes: UGC is diminishing universities

The University Grants Commission’s (UGC) mandate does not widen to mounting agendas for curricula. However, Clause 3.8 of the draught regulations indicates a realignment of world absorption towards circumstantial ideological and market-driven objectives. They emphasise contributions successful areas specified arsenic “Teaching-Learning and Research successful Indian Knowledge Systems” and “Startups”. Clause 4.1 (iii) disqualifies adjunct professors with implicit 10 years of acquisition from straight applying for professorships unless they service arsenic subordinate professors for astatine slightest 3 years.

This proviso punishes adjunct professors who presently suffice for professorships connected the merit of their teaching and probe contributions. It introduces an further obstruction for qualified candidates, and efficaciously penalises scholars for their contributions. Only 10 per cent of professors astatine Level 14 tin beryllium promoted to Level 15. This proviso introduces an artificial quota and arbitrariness. It could make an unnecessary hierarchy among professors, and is bound to undermine collegiality and the morale of faculty.

The existing regulations necessitate Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) applications to beryllium processed wrong six months, with promotions backdated to the minimum eligibility day upon palmy assessment. This ensures fairness and protects module from organization delays. Clause 5.6, however, removes the backdating provision, allowing universities to hold promotions without accountability. This alteration unfairly penalises faculty. Administrative efficiencies tin pb to vocation setbacks successful presumption of seniority, pay, and nonrecreational recognition.

The 2018 regulations excluded books and chapters arsenic eligibility for promotions but required an adjacent fig of diary publications from assemblage and assemblage teachers. The 2025 draught regulations reinstate the earlier criteria and exempt assemblage teachers from publishing for promotions to Level 14. The UGC had pushed done the 2018 argumentation contempt criticism. These rollbacks, on with the caller disbanding of the CARE database of world journals, bespeak an inconsistent and cavalier attack to scholarly publishing standards.

These erratic and predominant changes successful criteria disrupt world vocation plans and discourage semipermanent concern successful teaching and research. Without surety of just treatment, module volition stay susceptible to the whims of administrators, and the regulatory hurdles look akin to punishment and a signifier of censorship. A regulatory assemblage indispensable embody the principles of fairness, certainty, foresight, and predictability.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 projected a important upheaval successful HEI regulation, including disbanding the UGC and replacing it with a Higher Education Commission of India (HECI).

The NEP espoused lofty goals, but these stay unrealised due to the fact that of delays successful enacting the indispensable legislative and structural reforms. Meanwhile, the UGC continues to workout authority, issuing caller guidelines and implementing reforms for HEIs without the legislative model to enactment specified actions.

Regulations connected recruitment, promotions, and work conditions of module successful HEIs person historically been linked to wage operation revisions pursuing the recommendations of Central Pay Commissions. Clause 1.3 of the 2025 draught regulations states, “These shall travel into unit from the day of notification. However, the day of implementation of the revision of wage shall beryllium January 1, 2016.” The day of implementation mentioned present is that of the Seventh Pay Commission, revealing a bittersweet lawsuit of copy-paste.

Why this urgency?

While determination has been a long-standing request to capable module vacancies successful HEIs, recruitments successful antithetic universities are evoking a heavy consciousness of disquiet among those who attraction for acquisition arsenic a operator of ideology and excellence successful India. Similarly, predominant usage of NFS (not recovered suitable), peculiarly successful cases of SC, ST and OBC candidates, is causing terrible harm to the thought of practice and affirmative action. I americium pained to enactment that premier HEIs are being actively reduced to a airy shadiness of their earlier selves. Campus cultures are becoming steeped successful aggression and impunity.

It is an unfastened concealed that the existent authorities is making ideological appointments successful HEIs and the complaints of a shortage of eligible candidates are misleading. The shortage is of candidates who are ideologically aligned with the authorities and its affiliate groups. This is evident from the information that tiny coteries of hardly eligible persons are occupying aggregate administrative positions successful respective HEIs and successful immoderate cases, individuals are adjacent holding complaint of aggregate institutions. The goalposts displacement each clip the authorities is done scraping the bottommost of the tube of candidates that it deems suitable. The 2025 draught regularisation is different workout successful shifting goalposts. The slightest we tin expect from the authorities is to measure the projected draught regulations connected law parameters.

The writer is Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), Rashtriya Janata Dal