The UGC has decided to investigate any irregularities in Ph.D. awards and teacher appointments in higher education institutes (HEIs). The decision made at the Commission’s 568th meeting was disclosed to IANS on Wednesday by Jagadesh Kumar, Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). A permanent committee was established to oversee the awarding of PhDs and the hiring of professors at HEIs.
According to the UGC Chairman, the Committee will meet on a regular basis, choose a few institutions, gather information regarding faculty appointments and the awarding of Ph.D. degrees, verify documents to determine whether the process of appointing teachers and awarding Ph.D. degrees is in compliance with UGC regulations, and recommend appropriate actions in the case of violations.
“As the regulations prescribe minimum standards required to be maintained by HEIs, any violation of the regulations results in the inevitable decline of higher education standards. The UGC takes such violations very seriously and intends to take appropriate measures to control violations of UGC Regulations,” Kumar added.
Higher education institutions play a well-known role in cultivating thinkers and disseminating knowledge for the benefit of the country’s development. Among other things, the UGC periodically announces regulations to assure the quality of teachers and the quality of research degrees.
The UGC has the responsibility to promote and coordinate university education. The UGC asserts that the caliber of individuals who deliver higher education and the methods used to further research are largely correlated.
The UGC Regulations on Minimum Qualifications for Appointment of Teachers and Other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures of the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education, 2018, are the rules that are now in effect.
The University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022, are an additional one.
“Both regulations set the conditions for determining and maintaining standards in selecting candidates for the appointment of teachers and the quality of research degrees awarded in HEIs and are mandatory. However, despite the regulations, complaints from stakeholders about violations are not uncommon,” Kumar added.
(Source: OTV News)
