UGC's distance education degrees valid for central jobs

All distance education degrees, diplomas and certificates including technical education degrees and diplomas awarded through distance education mode by the universities with the approval of University Grants Commission (UGC) would be valid for central government jobs.

All distance education degrees, diplomas and certificates including technicaleducation degrees and diplomas awarded through distance education mode by the universities with the approval of University Grants Commission (UGC) would be valid for central government jobs.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Development has notified the rule in the gazette recently. The notification was necessitated due to several changes in the distance education sector. Earlier, the approval of all distance courses needed approval of the Distance Education 

The Distance Education Council which worked under the Indira Gandhi National Open University and worked as the distance education regulator was scrapped two years back and the whole gamut of distance education was shifted to UGC, the apex body of higher education.

"The central government hereby notifies that all the degrees/diplomas/certificates including technical education degrees and diplomas awarded through open and distance learning mode of education by the universities established by an Act of Parliament or state legislature, institutions deemed to be universities under section 3 of the UGC Act 1956 and Institution of National Importance declared under an Act of Parliament stand automatically recognised for the purpose of employment to posts and services under the central government provided they have been approved by the UGC," reads the gazette, dated 10 June 2015.

Source | Daily News Analysis | 21 September 2015

College teachers to protest for relaxation from mandatory NET

College teachers to protest for relaxation from mandatory NET

NEW DELHI: Thousands of college teachers from all over India will demonstrate outside the University Grants Commission (UGC) office on Monday demanding relaxation in eligibility norms for those who did their PhD before 2009 without qualifying for the national eligibility test (NET) or state level eligibility test (SLET).

The teachers, who have met HRD minister Smriti Irani and UGC officials, have said that without relaxation, nearly 10 lakh teachers all over the country will lose their jobs. Though Irani has promised to look into the grievance, UGC officials said it would be difficult to relax the criteria now. "Supreme Court has upheld our regulation," an official said.

The threat of job loss emanates from the Supreme Court order of March this year that upheld UGC's 2009 regulation on minimum qualifications required for teaching jobs in colleges and universities.

 

The apex court had said, "It is clear that the object of the directions of the central government read with the UGC regulations of 2009/2010 are to maintain excellence in standards of higher education. Keeping this object in mind, a minimum eligibility condition of passing the national eligibility test is laid down. True, there may have been exemptions laid down by the UGC in the past, but the central government now as a matter of policy feels that any exemption would compromise the excellence of teaching standards in universities/colleges/institutions governed by the UGC. Obviously, there is nothing arbitrary or discriminatory in this. In fact, it is a core function of the UGC to see that such standards do not get diluted."

The SC had also set aside orders of several high courts staying UGC's 2009 regulation.

However, the agitating teachers pointed out that there was a tradition of relaxation given by UGC. Sunil Pant of Kumaon University said, "In 1992, the first relaxation was given and PhD holders without NET and SLET were allowed to teach. Another relaxation came in 2002 which was extended till 2006. Then came the 2009 regulation which apart from mandating NET/SLET also made entrance test and six months course work mandatory. Anyone who was awarded PhD before July 11, 2009 is considered ineligible."

Pant said this has created a piquant situation. "What happens to those who registered for PhD in June 2009 but were awarded the degree in 2014. Obviously, he did PhD under the old regulation so will he become ineligible?" he asked.

 

Source | Economic Times | 29 July 2015

UGC asks HRD Ministry to give breather to PhD holders

http://cbseugcnetforum.in/media/ugc-asks-hrd-ministry-to-give-breather-to-phd-holders/

UGC once again proposed to the HRD Ministry to provide certain relaxation to PhD holders registered before 2009, a move which could provide breather to thousands of candidates applying for teaching jobs in universities.

The relaxation would help thousand of PhD holders affected by the new UGC guideline in 2009, which had made NET and PhD a minimum eligibility criteria for applying for assistant professor in colleges and universities.

At the full commission meeting here today, UGC decided to request the HRD Ministry to issue a notification in this regard after an examination of the matter.

According to a commission member, UGC had in May last year had proposed the relaxation, but the HRD Ministry had failed to act on the proposal, triggering discontent among the candidates and confusion in the academic circles.

The guideline had, however, laid down a set of procedures like course work, external assessment and entrance test to recognise a PhD.

PhD aspirants registered before 2009 and not fulfilling the laid down procedures went on a war path and protested the move, seeking reprieve from the government.

The relaxation would pave the way for recognising the PhDs on par with those done after 2009.

The commission meeting today also cleared a proposal to appoint D P Singh, the vice chancellor of Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore as the new director of NAAC.

Singh, considered a right wing sympathisiser, had earlier served as vice chancellor of Banaras Hindu University and Hari Singh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar.

The meeting also decided to derecognise Sikkim-based private university for alleged irregularities in opening campus abroad and offering sub-standard degrees, a public notice of which would be issued shortly.

The decision came after numerous complaints were received against the fraudulent practices of the university.

“A public notice would soon be issued about the UGC decision,” the member said.

UGC also cleared the establishment of a Buddhist studies (a demed to be university) in Ladakh.

(With inputs from agencies)

UGC has released a list of 21 fake universities across the country

 www.ugc.ac.in

After much speculation, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has come up with a list of fake universities. This list consists of 21 universities, set up across the country. These universities have been found to be working in violation of the UGC Act, 1956.

The universities labelled as fake by UGC are listed below:

1. Commercial University Ltd., Daryaganj, Delhi

2. United Nations University, Delhi

3. Vocational University, Delhi

4. Indian Institute of Science and Engineering, New Delhi

5. ADR-Centric Juridical University, New Delhi

6. Kesarwani Vidyapith, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh

7. Raja Arabic University, Nagpur, Maharashtra

8. St. John's University, Kishanattam, Kerala

9. Badaganvi Sarkar Open World University Education Society, Belagum, Karnataka

10. Maithili University, Darbanga, Bihar

11. Indian Institute of Alternative Medicine, Kolkata, West Bengal

12. D.D.B. Sanskrit University, Trichi, Tamil Nadu

13. Gurukul Vishwavidyalaya, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh

14. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh

15. Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh

16. National University of Electro Complex Homeopathy, Kanpur, Uttar Paradesh

17. Mahila Gram Vishwavidyalaya, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

18. Gandi Hindi Vidyapith, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

19. Indraprastha Shiksha Parishad, Noida, Uttar Pradesh

20. Uttar Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh

21. Maharana Pratap Shiksha Niketan Vishwavidyalaya, Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh

For more information about the fake universities, students can visit the official site, www.ugc.ac.in.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/ugc-releases-list-of-fake-universities/1/441924.html