While several employees in the past have secured promotions based on diplomas and degrees from unrecognised, out-of-state universities, particularly through distance learning, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) last month introduced a ban on promotions based on such educational qualifications, officials said.
As per officials, under the PCMC’s service entry rules, eligible diploma and degree, class 3 and 4 employees can be promoted to junior engineer positions. Over the past decade, this provision has helped over a dozen employees—labourers, masons, clerks, health inspectors and surveyors – to be promoted to junior engineer and assistant civil engineer positions by providing degrees from universities in Karnataka, Assam, Rajasthan, Kerala and Sikkim.
Putting an end to promotions based on such degrees and diplomas, the PCMC commissioner last month issued orders stating that degrees and diplomas from unrecognised, out-of-state universities will no longer be accepted for promotions. Currently, 18 applications have been received from employees requesting promotion based on degrees and diplomas from unrecognised, out-of-state universities which have been kept but not considered. However, the new rule will not affect staff already promoted based on their unrecognised, out-of-state degrees.
Vitthal Joshi, deputy commissioner of the general administration department, PCMC, said, “We have strictly stopped promoting degree- or diploma- holders from out-of-state universities through distance education. Technical courses cannot be completed through distance learning. The course and college should also be approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC). No promotions have been granted under these guidelines. We have received applications from staff requesting promotion based on such courses which have not been considered. However, I am unaware of any past promotions that were granted based on such degrees.”
{{/usCountry}}Vitthal Joshi, deputy commissioner of the general administration department, PCMC, said, “We have strictly stopped promoting degree- or diploma- holders from out-of-state universities through distance education. Technical courses cannot be completed through distance learning. The course and college should also be approved by the University Grants Commission (UGC). No promotions have been granted under these guidelines. We have received applications from staff requesting promotion based on such courses which have not been considered. However, I am unaware of any past promotions that were granted based on such degrees.”
{{/usCountry}}As per officials, the UGC and All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) have deemed degrees obtained through external or distance learning modes as unauthorised for professional courses such as engineering, medicine, law, agriculture, health science and hotel management. Besides, universities in one state are not permitted to award degrees in these courses to students from other states.