UGC to set up committee of academics to monitor faculty appointments, awarding of PhDs

In order to ensure compliance with regulations and prevent any breaches, the University Grants Commission (UGC) will soon establish a committee dedicated to periodically assessing faculty appointments and the conferral of PhD degrees within higher education institutions (HEIs).

Composed of esteemed academics, this committee will convene at regular intervals to select a few institutions and gather comprehensive information regarding faculty appointments and the granting of PhD degrees. Their role will involve scrutinising documents to verify that the processes of appointing teachers and awarding PhD degrees align with the regulations set forth by the UGC.

In cases where violations are identified, the committee will recommend appropriate actions to be taken. “The UGC regards such violations with utmost seriousness and is committed to implementing measures that effectively curb any breaches of UGC Regulations,” stated M Jagadesh Kumar, the Chairperson of the UGC.

The decision to form this committee was made during the 568th meeting of the UGC on April 24. The necessity for such a committee arose due to instances of non-compliance with appointment norms over the years, resulting in numerous complaints being filed with regulatory bodies