Explore Business Standard
UGC
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that the draft UGC regulations of 2025 not only diminish the role of state governments in higher education, but in reality sideline them. The CM said that under the draft regulations, the states have no role in appointment of vice chancellors (VCs) and assistant professors in state-established universities and termed them as "undemocratic and excessive". He was speaking after inaugurating a National Convention here on the draft University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations of 2025 which was attended by ministers from the neighbouring states of Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. He said that powers for appointing VCs have been given to Chancellors, who are the Governors appointed by the Centre, and therefore there was scope for politically motivated selections which would be harmful for the higher education sector in the country. He claimed that "gubernatorial excesses" were experienced by many opposition-ruled states, ...
TMC MP Mahua Moitra on Tuesday termed as "anti-constitutional" the draft UGC regulations for selection of vice chancellors in Central and state universities. Demanding a rollback of the criteria of the search-and-selection committee of vice chancellors of state-aided universities, Moitra said during Zero Hour that there is no state-government representative in the committee even though states pay completely for the state-run universities. The draft UGC regulation, 2025, which seeks to replace the UGC regulation 2018, is "over-centralised, anti-constitutional and anti-federal", Moitra said. According to the draft regulations, industry experts, as well as senior professionals from public administration, public policy and public sector undertakings, might soon be eligible for appointment as vice chancellors. The draft norms have also given power to chancellors or visitors to constitute the three-member search-cum-selection committee to appoint vice chancellors. The new guidelines wil
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged the UGC's draft regulations on the appointment of teachers and academic staff in universities and colleges was an attempt to push the agenda of the RSS that aimed to achieve its idea of imposing "one history, one tradition, one language" on the country. Speaking at a protest against the draft University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations organised by the DMK here, the opposition leader in the Lok Sabha said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's (RSS) aim was the eradication of all other histories, cultures and traditions of the country. "That is its starting point and that is what it wants to achieve. It attacks the Constitution because it wants to achieve one idea which is its idea -- one history, one tradition, one language -- on this country," the former Congress chief said. "This attempt that it is doing with the education system of different states is just another attempt to push its agenda," Gandhi said. "Each state has its ...
Downplaying the Kerala government's criticism and opposition to the draft UGC guidelines, Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday said everyone's views will be considered before a final version is released. Arlekar also said that India being a democracy, "everybody has the right to say anything over anything in this country and there was nothing wrong with it". The Kerala assembly had on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution urging the central government to withdraw the draft UGC guidelines and issue a revised version. Arlekar said that all the views about the UGC draft guidelines should go to the proper person or proper platform" and they will discuss it. "It is still a draft, not the final version. So, considering everybody's different views, they will come out with the final document," the Governor told reporters here after he called on former Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan at his residence. Arlekar inquired Achuthanandan's family members about his health. He said
The Kerala assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution urging the central government to withdraw the draft UGC guidelines and issue a revised version. The resolution was moved in the House by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who said that the assembly was of the clear opinion that the draft UGC norms do not reflect the spirit of the Constitution. The CM said that universities in the various states function according to the laws passed by the respective state legislatures as they have the power to establish and supervise the universities. The central government only has the power to coordinate and fix standards for higher education and research institutions, he said. By ignoring these facts and without holding discussions with all the stakeholders, the Centre issued the draft guidelines which completely exclude the opinions of the state governments, including on the appointment of Vice Chancellors, and therefore, they are "incompatible with the federal system and democracy",
The Congress on Tuesday termed the draft UGC regulations for appointment of teachers and academic staff in universities and colleges "draconian and anti-Constitution", and demanded that those be withdrawn immediately. Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said the University Grants Commission (UGC) has recently published the draft UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment and Promotion of Teachers and Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) Regulations, 2025. "Among its many disastrous ideas include the following -- Removal of the 10 per cent ceiling on contractual professorships, opening the gates for the large-scale contractualisation of teaching in higher education. This is going to destroy the quality of our institutions and the spirit of academic independence," he said in a post on X. The former Union minister claimed that the draft rules also propose withdrawal of all powers of the sta
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Monday attacked the Congress, accusing it of "selling lies" about the draft recruitment norms rolled out by the UGC and said the practice of governors appointing university vice-chancellors has been going on even before Independence. The University Grants Commission (UGC) released the draft regulations last week, proposing a major overhaul in the recruitment of assistant professors and vice-chancellors. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had alleged that the UGC draft regulations, 2025, give state governors extensive control over vice-chancellor appointments and allow non-academics to hold these posts and termed it a "direct attack on federalism and state rights". According to the draft regulations, industry experts, as well as senior professionals from public administration, public policy and public sector undertakings, might soon be eligible for appointment as vice-chancellors. The draft norms have also given power to chancellors or .
The University Grants Commission's draft regulations 2025 granting Governors broader control over Vice Chancellor appointments and allowing non-academics to hold these posts were a direct assault on federalism and state rights, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said on Tuesday. This 'authoritarian' move by the Union BJP government sought to centralise power and undermine democratically elected state governments, he commented on the draft UGC regulations, 2025, released by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the national capital on January 6. The regulations prescribe minimum qualifications for appointments and promotion of teachers and academic staff in universities and colleges and measures for maintenance of standards in higher education. At the event, Pradhan said that these draft reforms and guidelines would infuse innovation, inclusivity, flexibility, and dynamism in every aspect of higher education, empower teachers and academic staff, strengthen academic ...
Industry experts as well as senior professionals from public administration, public policy and public sector undertakings might soon be eligible for appointment as Vice Chancellors, according to draft norms by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The new guidelines will also amend the norms for hiring faculty members in universities allowing people having a postgraduate degrees in Master of Engineering (M.E) and Masters of Technology (MTech), with at least 55 pc marks, to directly get recruited to the Assistant Professor level without qualifying for the University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (NET). The draft norms will also permit candidates to teach based on their highest academic specialisation. For example, a candidate with a PhD in chemistry, a bachelor's in mathematics and a master's in physics, would now qualify to teach chemistry. Similarly, individuals who clear the National Eligibility Test in a subject different from their earlier academic focus can tea
The Common University Entrance Test (CUET) for admission to undergraduate and postgraduate courses is set to undergo several changes in the 2025 edition following a review by an expert panel, according to UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar. The University Grants Commission (UGC) had constituted an expert committee to review the conduct of CUET-UG and PG. "Based on feedback from past years, it is also essential to continuously improve the examination process to provide a better, more efficient and conducive environment for students taking CUET. In this spirit, the UGC has constituted an expert committee to review the conduct of CUET-UG and CUET-PG for 2025," Kumar told PTI. "The committee has examined various aspects of the test, such as its structure, number of papers, duration of test papers, syllabus alignment and operational logistics. The commission considered these recommendations in a recent meeting," he added. The UGC chief informed that the commission will soon release a draft ...
UG and PG aspirants will now be able to seek admission in any discipline irrespective of the one studied by him or her in Class 12 or at the undergraduate programme, after qualifying in a national or university-level entrance exam, according to new norms of the University of Grants Commission (UGC). The UGC on Thursday announced the draft regulations that are being set as the minimum standards of instruction for the grant of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. According to UGC Chairman Jagadesh Kumar, the new regulations will introduce greater flexibility, remove disciplinary rigidity, bring in inclusivity and multidisciplinary learning opportunities for students. "Irrespective of the disciplines taken by a student in level 4 or Class-12 schooling, a student is eligible for admission in any discipline of UG programme if the student qualifies the national-level or university-level entrance examination in the discipline of UG programme," the draft norms said. "Depending upon the