| Academic arrangement: Short-listing criteria under scanner | | UGC guidelines ignored, Hr Edu arbitrarily gives 38 points to Ph.d, 2 points to online courses | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 7: The short-listing criteria for engagement of candidates on academic arrangement basis in the Government Degree Colleges has come under scanner as Higher Education Department has arbitrarily allotted points to Ph.D and some online courses, bypassing the guidelines issued by University Grants Commission (UGC) for the same purpose.
The Jammu and Kashmir Higher Education Department in the last two years has revised the guidelines four times for the engagement of candidates on academic arrangement basis. The latest guidelines were issued by the department vide order number 58-JK (HE) of 2021 dated 25/02/2021 in which Ph.D was given 30 points.
Surprisingly, after only a few days a corrigendum was issued by the department with the same date of 25/2/2021 according to which the points of Ph.D were increased to 38 , while only M.Phil is having 8 points and M.Phil+Ph.D are having 38 points. Moreover the guidelines also give maximum of 2 points (0.5 points per online course) i.e. MOOCS, SWAYAM, NPTELS, ARPIT etc.
However, the decision of the Higher Education Department granting 38 points to Ph.D degree as well as points to some online goes is purely arbitrary and goes in total contravention to the UGC guidelines issued so far.
The latest guidelines for selection of Assistant Professors in colleges were issued by UGC in February 2018. As per these guidelines, the short listing criteria have granted 20 points to Ph.D and 5 points to M.Phil with 55% or less marks and 7 points for 60% and above marks. The online courses have no points as per UGC criteria.
“Giving 38 points to Ph.D and 2 points for online courses is a well planned conspiracy to benefit a particular section of students, who have obtained Ph.D degrees from some universities of other states, which are notorious for distributing degrees”, a teaching faculty member said, adding that if UGC guidelines were available, then why same were not followed by the Higher Education department for finalization of these criteria.
The teaching faculty members further said that even after the abrogation of Article-370, rules and guidelines have been framed to suit a particular purpose rather than having a uniform policy for short-listing criteria, followed across other states.
The academic arrangement basis candidates also said that when it came to payment of remuneration, the Higher Education Department also violated the UGC guidelines.
“The teaching faculty members must be paid the basic salary of around Rs. 57,000 and guest faculty should be paid Rs. 1500 per lecture as per UGC guidelines but JK Higher Education department is arbitrarily deciding everything, from eligibility criteria to payment of remuneration to teaching faculty, after the scrapping of Article-370”, the teaching faculty rued, adding that the Lieutenant Governor administration should take cognizance of the matte and stop discrimination with the academic arrangement faculty of Jammu and Kashmir. |
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