Varsity recruitments on hold over plaints

Almost halfway through recruitments to teaching and non-teaching posts in various universities, the Higher Education department, on Monday, ordered the suspension of recruitment till further orders, following statewide opposition.

The move comes in the wake of statewide opposition to the fresh regulations by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for the appointment of teachers and other academic staff in universities and colleges.

The department, through a notification dated July 17, 2017, had ordered recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff to various universities as per the guidelines laid down by the UGC Regulations (Minimum qualification for appointment of teachers and other academic staff in universities and colleges and measures for the maintenance of standards in higher education) 2010.

However in a fresh circular dated November 5, a copy of which is with DH, the Higher Education department cited statewide opposition to the fresh guidelines from candidates, education experts and the public and ordered the temporary suspension of recruitment. This apart, the department has appointed a high-level committee headed by Prof V B Coutinho, VC (Rtd), Gulbarga University, comprising department officials and other stakeholders to look into the issue.

The prominent objections included absence of a written test for 100 marks for recruitment to teachers' posts, the absence of a mechanism to recruit candidates as per performance-based appraisal system and academic performance indicator.

“All candidates have a chance to appear for the interview as per UGC rules. However, the initial circular stated that candidates will be invited for an interview at 1:3 ratio based on the performance in written test. This amounts to the violation of social justice as the right candidates will be deprived of chances,” one of the aspiring candidates from Bangalore University told DH.

This apart, the UGC guidelines laid out a minimum of eight years of experience in teaching or research for the post of assistant professor. But the circular reduced it to a minimum of five years. There were also charges that direct recruitment would pave way for nepotism and irregularities.