UGC allows candidates registered for PhD before 2009 to be appointed Asst Prof

New Delhi : Those with PhD before 2009 shall be appointed assistant professors without undertaking the National Eligibility Text (NET).

The University Grants Commission (UGC) even relaxed the condition that they should have published at least two papers after securing the degree.

Those who earned their PhDs since 2009 are exempt from the NET irrespective of their published papers – provided the institutions that awarded the doctorates to them followed the commission’s 2009 quality guidelines.

“The research papers of the candidate from his/her research work published beyond the period of acquiring his/ her PhD degree are also acceptable provided it is certified by the PhD degree awarding university,” says the clarification issued by commission secretary P. K. Thakur.

It also allowed post- PhD seminar presentations by the candidates to count while determining NET exemption.

Candidates for teaching jobs at universities and colleges need to qualify through the NET or the State Level Eligibility Test (SLET), whichever is relevant, but PhD holders initially enjoyed a blanket exemption.

This led to complaints that many of them were not good enough, thanks to a lack of standardisation in doctorate programmes.

In 2009, the regulator came up with norms relating to entrance tests and course work for PhD programmes, and said the existing doctorates must take the NET/ SLET to secure teaching jobs.

This triggered protests, and the government set up a committee. It said pre- 2009 PhD holders should be exempt from these exams if they had been interviewed on their theses by experts, had their theses externally assessed, and had two publications and two presentations under their belt.