MSU Professor Alleges Gujarat Government Violated UGC Regulations on Teaching Experience
A faculty member at Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) in Vadodara has formally written to the University Grants Commission (UGC), raising serious allegations that the Gujarat government violated UGC regulations. The complaint centers on the counting of service rendered under the fixed-pay Adhyapak Sahayak scheme as valid teaching experience for higher academic positions.
Details of the Allegation
In his representation to the UGC chairman, Prof Satish Pathak from MSU's Department of Education claimed that the state education department permitted experience gained as a fixed-pay assistant professor to be treated as eligible experience for direct recruitment to the posts of associate professor and professor in state universities. This move, according to Pathak, directly contravenes established UGC norms.
Background of the Adhyapak Sahayak Scheme
The Adhyapak Sahayak scheme was introduced through a government resolution in August 2005. It aimed to appoint assistant professors at grant-in-aid colleges on a fixed salary of Rs 7,500 per month for a duration of five years. Prof Pathak argued that this scheme operated outside the standard UGC pay scales, recruitment norms, and service conditions, thereby placing it outside the regulatory framework that governs higher education appointments.
Compliance Issues Highlighted
The representation noted that although the Gujarat government later aligned qualification requirements for such appointments with UGC and National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) norms through resolutions issued between 2006 and 2018, this alignment was insufficient. Pathak emphasized that adopting similar qualifications did not equate to full compliance, especially when the appointment structure and service conditions remained fundamentally different from those mandated by UGC regulations.
Call for UGC Intervention
Prof Pathak has urged the UGC to take immediate action. He requested the commission to:
- Clarify that service under the fixed-pay Adhyapak Sahayak scheme cannot be counted as valid teaching experience under UGC norms.
- Direct Gujarat's universities to adhere strictly to national recruitment regulations to ensure fairness and transparency in academic appointments.
This development highlights ongoing concerns about adherence to regulatory standards in higher education recruitment processes in Gujarat.
