It is necessary to pass this exam to become an Assistant Professor, UGC Chairman said this big thing.
UGC has made UGC NET mandatory for Assistant Professors of non-professional courses. This rule does not apply to professional courses like engineering.
After the draft of Faculty Recruitment Rules 2025 was notified by the University Grants Commission, a round of protests and discussions started against it. Especially teachers and various associations have raised questions on these rules. In such a situation, UGC chief M Jagdish Kumar has clarified the situation and said that it will be necessary for postgraduate degree holders in non-professional courses to pass UGC NET for appointment to the post of Assistant Professor.
Start of protest
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan recently notified the draft of UGC rules regarding minimum qualification for appointment and promotion of teachers in universities and colleges. After this, various associations of teachers protested against the removal of the limit of contract-based teachers in higher education. The chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka also criticized these rules, saying that it could promote government interference. Teachers also feared that these rules would promote contract-based recruitment in higher education.
What did the UGC chief say?
UGC chief M Jagadeesh Kumar clarified the misinformation circulating on social media platform X through a video message. He clarified, it is necessary for those holding master's degree in non-professional courses to pass UGC NET for appointment to the post of assistant professor. However, this is not mandatory for professional programs like engineering and technology. If candidates have ME, MTech degree, they will not need to qualify NET. This rule is in line with the recruitment guidelines of AICTE.
What is the main reason for the controversy?
Teachers' unions say that these new rules will promote the appointment of temporary and contractual teachers in higher education, which may affect the quality of teaching. At the same time, UGC claims that these rules will ensure transparency and merit-based selection process in the field of higher education.
Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from abplive.com. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation.
