PhD not a must for assistant prof post till 2023, says UGC

The decision by UGC has been taken because of the Covid-19 pandemic that has brought the research work of PhD students to a standstill in the last one and a half years.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Tuesday delayed the need for a PhD as a minimum qualification for recruitment of assistant professors in universities from July 2021 to July 2023. The decision has been taken because of the Covid-19 pandemic that has brought the research work of PhD students to a standstill in the last one and a half years.

The UGC in 2018 set the criteria for recruitment for entry-level posts at universities and colleges. (Representational picture)

“The UGC, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, has decided to extend the date of applicability of PhD as a mandatory qualification for direct recruitment of Assistant Professors in Departments of Universities from 01.07.2021 to 01.07.2023,” the commission said in a statement.

The UGC in 2018 set the criteria for recruitment for entry-level posts at universities and colleges. It had given a three-year window to candidates to complete their PhDs and asked all universities and colleges to start applying the criteria for recruitment from 2021-22 academic session.

“The Commission 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 that 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.01.07.2023,” the statement added.

Due to the pandemic, many candidates could not complete their PhDs and appealed to the central government to relax the eligibility this year.