UGC draft rules are for undermining higher education

The University Grants Commission's (UGC) draft regulations for appointing vice-chancellors and academic staff in universities have sparked major controversy as the intellectuals acrss the country are strongly criticising the proposed changes.
The new UGC rules will severely damage the country’s higher education system and appear to be designed to ensure a deeper infiltration of RSS ideologies and personnel into the nation's universities.
It seems that the draft rules made by UGC for the appointment of Vice-Chancellors and academic staff in universities have been designed to initiate the process of installing RSS ideologues in educational institutions.
The proposed rules suggest that vice-chancellors would no longer be required to have an academic background, with the central government assuming authority over appointments even in state universities.
The rules could potentially limit the number of contractual professors to just 10 per cent, thereby making it easier to appoint preferred candidates as professors.
These rules will ruin our higher education system by allowing incompetent individuals to take over universities. This is a direct attack on the federal structure of the country as it diminishes the rights of state governments.
The respective state government and the academic community are opposing the proposed regulations, emphasising that such changes would degrade the quality of higher education and jeopardise the nation's educational future.
The UGC's draft rules have ignited a fierce debate, and that the proposed measures could politicise academia and compromise educational standards.
Three Rajasthan-based universities debarred from awarding PhD degrees for not following UGC rules It is opem for Commission to assessing the quality of PhD programmes in all the universities.
A case has cropped up in three Rajasthan-based universities, that failed to follow provisions of Ph D regulations and academic norms for the award of degrees, have been debarred for five years.
These three universities - OPJS University, Churu; Sunrise University, Alwar, and Singhania University, Jhunjhunu - have been debarred from awarding Ph.D degrees for five years – 2025-26 to 2029-30.
The commissionshould also assessing the quality of PhD programmes in other universities, the process of checking the quality of PhD programs in a few other universities. If they are found to violate the PhD regulations, action will be taken against them too.
The UGC Chairman said that universities should be committed to maintaining the highest standards in PhD programmes. The UGC will take appropriate action against institutions that fail to follow UGC's PhD regulations.
It is necessary to single out such erring institutions and prevent them from admitting Ph.D students. We should ensure that the integrity and global reputation of Indian higher education remain uncompromised.
According to a public notice on Thursday, a standing committee has been constituted by the UGC to monitor whether universities are following the procedure and awarding PhD degrees in accordance with the UGC regulations. One of the mandates of the standing committee is to suggest corrective measures and recommend action to be taken against erring universities.
After examining the information submitted by the universities, the standing committee has found that three universities do not follow the provisions of the UGC Ph D regulations and also the academic norms for the award of PhD degrees.
These universities were given an opportunity to explain why they failed to comply with the provisions of the UGC PhD Regulations, however, the responses received from these universities were not found satisfactory.
The standing committee has, thus, recommended that the UGC may debar these Universities from enrolling PhD students for the next five years.
The three universities have been informed about the UGC decision and have been directed to immediately discontinue enrolling PhD students.
Prospective students and parents are hereby advised not to take admission in the PhD programme offered by the three universities from now onwards.
In the absence of UGC approval, PhD awarded by the three universities shall not be treated recognized/valid for higher education and employment.
The Intellectals across the nation feel that the RSS' predilection for conspiracy theories threat to integrity of country's premier universities: The new UGC rules are intended solely to promote "non-serious politicking" on campuses.
The intellectual integrity in premier universities is threatened by the "virus" of the RSS' predilection for conspiracy theories and infantile name-calling.The new UGC rules are intended solely to promote "non-serious politicking" on campuses.
For an example where several Delhi University (DU) faculty members have condemned a discussion on journalist Ashok Shrivastav's 2024 book Modi vs Khan Market Gang held on campus Thursday.
Intellectual integrity in our premier universities is threatened by the virus of the RSS' predilection for conspiracy theories and infantile name-calling.
An event for a blatantly partisan and non-serious book was held on Delhi University premises and attended by no less than the Vice Chancellor himself. This is an absolute disgrace to what has been a premier educational institution but which now functions as an extended arm of the RSS.
The new UGC rules, which allow for greater central oversight of the appointment of VCs and the appointment of non-academic individuals, are intended solely to promote such non-serious politicking on campuses.
The draft UGC regulations for appointment of teachers and academic staff in universities and colleges "draconian and anti-Constitution", and the intelctual Society demands that those be withdrawn immediately.
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 large-scale contractualisation of teaching in higher education. This is going to destroy the quality of our institutions and the spirit of academic independence.