Draft UGC norms give universities more power to select faculty, Pradhan to LS
Dharmendra Pradhan said the draft UGC regulations seek to enhance innovation, inclusivity, flexibility, and dynamism in higher education
NEW DELHI:The draft University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations proposed by the higher education regulator in January gives universities “more power” to select their faculty and promotes increased and inclusive development for state universities, union education minister Dharmandra Pradhan told the Lok Sabha on Monday.
In a written response to a question on the regulations, Pradhan said the draft regulations seek to enhance innovation, inclusivity, flexibility, and dynamism in higher education and empower teachers, strengthen academic standards, and align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
“The draft UGC Regulations, 2025 provide more autonomy and inclusive development of the state universities. The draft regulations provide more power to universities in the selection process of teachers.... It empowers state governments to decide on the selection process of teachers in colleges falling under their purview,” Pradhan said, responding to a question by DMK member Selvaganapathi TM and Janata Dal United’s Dinesh Chandra Yadav.
The draft regulations on the appointment of teachers and academic staff in universities and colleges circulated on January 6 stipulate that the chancellor or visitor of a university will establish a three-member search-cum-selection committee for appointing vice-chancellors. Under this framework, the governor’s nominee would chair the committee, with the other two members appointed by the UGC chairman and the university’s apex body.
Opposition leaders have criticised the proposed norms, arguing that the new regulations undermine the autonomy of state governments in the appointment process of the vice chancellors of state universities.
On February 5, ministers from six Opposition-ruled states — Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana— passed a 15-point resolution rejecting the draft UGC norms. They argued that the regulations undermine the autonomy of states and criticised provisions that allowed non-academics to be appointed as vice chancellors, arguing that it would compromise academic integrity. Additionally, they also called for a reconsideration of the removal of the Academic Performance Indicator (API) system, stating that the new evaluation framework introduces a high degree of discretion. “The removal of the API system and introduction of a new evaluation method allows excessive discretion and must be re-evaluated,” the resolution added.
On February 6, UGC extended till February 28 the last date to receive feedback on the proposed regulations. Earlier, the stakeholders were supposed to send feedback by February 5.
In his response to the Lok Sabha on Monday, Pradhan said the regulations focus on transforming the education system and advancing India’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 through quality education and research.
According to the draft regulations that propose to replace a 2018 version, industry experts, senior professionals from public administration, public policy and public sector undertakings, would also be eligible for appointment as vice-chancellors. The draft norms also authorise chancellors or visitors to constitute the three-member search-cum-selection committee to appoint vice-chancellors.
The draft UGC regulations have also dropped the emphasis on the Academic Performance Indicators (API) system, which primarily focused on journal publications, replacing them with a broader framework that evaluates teachers based on their “notable contributions” across nine categories for recruitment and promotion of teachers. These categories include areas such as “teaching contributions in Indian languages” and “teaching-learning and research in Indian Knowledge Systems.”
Pradhan said the draft regulations provide more power to universities in the selection process of teachers. “The selection committees of universities will decide on the quality of research publications, the reputation of publishers, based on the input from external experts, rather than the fixed numerical score known as Academic Performance Index (API),” he said.
Pradesh said the eligibility criteria for appointment and promotion have been simplified and broadened in the draft regulations.