In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic prevailing over the past 18 months, Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti has appealed to the State Government to provide age relaxation of two years for candidates applying for posts of assistant professors in Government First Grade Colleges in Karnataka.
Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has invited online applications from eligible candidates for recruitment of assistant professor’s posts in Government First Grade Colleges. The last date for submission of applications online is November 20.
The result of K-SET examination was declared on November 2. K-SET qualified candidates and other eligible candidates who have not yet applied can submit online applications for the post of assistant professor as per the rules.
In a letter to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Mr. Horatti said the government has not made any recruitment for the past two years owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, many candidates have crossed the age limit fixed by the government. To ensure eligibility, he urged the government to extend the age limit for two more years in the recruitment of assistant professors.
As per the notification, the age limit for general category candidates has been fixed at 40 years, OBC candidates – 43 years and SC/ST candidates – 45 years. Many candidates would lose the opportunity to submit their applications if the eligibility in age criteria is not relaxed, Mr. Horatti said.
The Council Chairman also mentioned the relaxation offered by University Grants Commission for the post of assistant professors. The UGC delayed the need for a PhD as a minimum qualification for recruitment of assistant professors in universities from July 2021 to July 2023. The decision was taken because the COVID-19 pandemic had brought research work of PhD students to a standstill over the last 18 months.