NET and PG with 55 % Marks Should be the Basic Qualification for Assistant Professor/Assistant Librarian/Assistant Director of Physical Education in Universities/Colleges

UGC has framed various Regulations, Rules and Norms for appointment and other service conditions of University and College teachers and librarians for the maintenance of standards in higher education and research. But as education comes under State subject most of the States implement clauses for pay hike and disregard or modify clauses that ensure minimum qualifications and service conditions for ensuring standards in education and research, thereby degrading UGC norms as a mere pay revision package. The best example is Kerala. The only clause that the States could not disregard till recently was the national level test NET that controlled the quality of intake in UGC posts at entry level. Now, mysteriously UGC has relaxed NET for appointment to the UGC posts in colleges/universities.  NET was materialized after a decade long committee/commission studies and deliberations. Since its introduction, private managements and other vested interests were attempting to remove this norm. Majority of applicants for teaching posts wanted to remove it.

Now  UGC has relaxed NET without  proper thoughts,  participation of academic community in decision making or alternate arrangements to ensue quality. On many occasions similar relaxations have been made by UGC due to vested interests or needs of relatives of some influential persons and after serving the purpose, such orders were repealed. Such things should not occur again. We send our children to universities and colleges for getting minimum quality education and research facilities. Teachers need to be the best and NET is the only national level test that can ensure quality of the academic staff. Relaxing that norm is the last nail to be put into the higher education and research system of the country that has deteriorated to the worst in last fifty years.

What is happening now in higher education and research system is the something like axing mother India, the nation which was looked upon with respect by whole World. NET was the only tool that Government of India was using to ensure minimum quality in teachers recruitment in colleges and universities in different States. Many universities and private colleges in the States sell lecture posts for Rs. 50 lakh and above per post. Once they take the money and appoint a lecturer then the salary and other benefits as per UGC Scheme are paid to them by State Government and UGC. So for every Rs. 50 lakh taken by a corrupt official group, businessman or a private management for appointment, more than Rs three crore are spent on the incumbent from public fund as salary, pension and other benefits. Beyond all this the cruel thing is that such teachers destroy the future of at least 100 or more students per year by their incapability to teach or guide research. Till now, not PhD but NET was essential qualification for lecture posts. So selling Lecture posts was a little bit difficult if the purchaser is not having NET.

Nevertheless, purchasing of NET qualification was not possible. However, PhDs can be purchased @ of Rs 1 to 15 lakh from many universities which till now was useful only for career advancements and three to five increments. Rs. 15 lakh spent for purchasing PhD could be realized from the benefits of increments, Career Advancement, etc., granted to PhD holders in colleges/universities. Now Lecture Post/Associate Professor post in colleges/universities also can be purchased easily with a PhD so purchased. Sale of lecture post has now become easy with NET relaxation. So the sale of PhD is expected to increase from Rs. 1 to 15 lakh to Rs. 40+ lakh. The relaxation of NET itself shows PhD can never be equivalent to NET. Many who have purchased PhDs have attempted for NET many times but failed.

With a recent UGC circular ousting many experienced research guides above age of 56 from guidance in many states like Kerala; already degradation in quality control of PhD research has started.  If one can afford;  purchase of Lecture/Asst Professor post has now became very easy with a minimum of Rs.15 lakh for Ph D + 50 lakh for Assistant Professor post in one’s kit.  Actually it is good investment fetching Rs 10 lakh per year as salary/income. So this relaxation will help only incompetent rich persons who can make such investment at the cost of the future citizens of the country.

Now, the private managements will start requesting governments to lower the retirement age of lecturers from 56 in many States to 50 so that thousands of post will fall vacant by the end of this March itself. It is due to the interest of such management that retirement age of Professors in some States is still kept at 56. And those who can afford the investment for PhD and lecture post will now use the chance without taking time for many managements and applicants have prior knowledge of this relaxation and may be already waiting prepared. For Nation’s sake, it is better to repeal the present relaxation order immediately before it is misused.

We as academicians and citizens concerned about sustaining the quality of higher education and research in the country that shape our future citizens request that National Level Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by UGC should be the basic qualification for entry cadre UGC Scheme posts of Assistant Professor/Assistant Librarian/Deputy Director of Physical Education in Universities and Colleges to ensure minimum standards. 

There is an urgent and clear need to repeal the decision of UGC giving relaxation of NET  to any category of applicants for entry level UGC Scheme posts.

We, therefore, demand that decision of UGC giving relaxation to NET for appointments in entry cadre UGC scheme posts of teachers and librarians be immediately repealed.

Dr. R. Raman Nair, Dr. M Jayapradeep,