UGC asks HEIs to fill vacancies in 6 months

The Commission’s chairman, Rajnish Jain, expressed concern over the shortage of faculty in HEIs. He said it needs to be addressed on a priority basis for improving the quality of higher education.

In a circular to all vice-chancellors of universities and principals of the respective affiliated colleges, UGC secretary pointed out that faculty members are the ones who create a conducive learning environment in the institution and develop students as responsible members of the society.

Giving details of the selection procedure, that have to be adopted by the HEIs, the commission said the recruitment should be in accordance with UGC regulations and colleges should also ensure that all vacant posts, along with the reservation details, should be uploaded in the UGC portal.

Rajnish Jain said all recruitment processes, including identification of vacancies, permission for filling up vacancies, the constitution of the selection committee, fixing of dates of the selection committee meeting, scrutiny of applications, conduct of interviews, and approval of the competent authorities should be done within six months.

He also warned that if any violations were found during the recruitment, appropriate action would be taken, including withholding grants.

Pointing out that shortage of quality teaching faculty in HEIs is one among the many issues presently confronting the higher education system, he said this is also affecting the quality of higher education and therefore all the guidelines should be followed to ensure timely filling up of vacancies with eligible and competent candidates.