In
a major relief for the candidates who have obtained or applied for P.hD
degrees prior to 2009 University Grant Commission (UGC) regulations,
the UGC has decided that such candidates will be exempted from clearing
National Eligibility Test (NET) to become eligible for recruitment of
Assistant Professor or equivalent positions in Universities, Colleges
and other Institutions on certain conditions.The development comes at a time when the recruitment of around 1800 posts of Assistant Professors in JK’s higher education department is caught in a row and the selection process has been delayed from past several months over authentication of the PhD degrees obtained from state universasities.
The UGC initiative would help thousands of PhD degree holders who have been affected by UGC guideline issued in 2009 making NET and PhD a minimum eligibility criteria for applying for the post of Assistant Professor in state Colleges and Universities.
While relaxing norms for PhD holders who obtained their degrees prior to July 11, 2009, regulations, UGC has set certain conditions for such candidates for getting exempted from NET and SET exams to achieve the eligibility criteria for the post of Assistant Professors and other equivalent posts in colleges and universities.
As per the UGC notification issued on April 12, degrees obtained prior to 2009 UGC regulations shall be governed by the provisions of the then existing regulations on the basis of conditions that the PhD degree is awarded to the candidate in regular mode.
Moreover the evaluation of the PhD thesis should have been done by at least two external examiners while as the degree-awarding university should have conducted open PhD viva voce of the candidates.
“Candidate should have two research publications from his/ her PhD work and out of which at least one must be published in a refereed journal,” reads the notification issued by UGC.
As per the notification the candidate should have made at least two presentations in conferences, seminars, based on his/her PhD work which are later certified by the Vice-Chancellor/ Pro-Vice-Chancellor or Dean Academic Affairs or Dean University Instructions.
Dean Academic Affairs Kashmir University, Prof. Muhammad Ashraf Wani, said the varsity has been following all the conditions set by the UGC in its new notification. “Candidates need not to worry now. Our university has followed all these conditions prior to the 2009 UGC regulations,” Prof Wani said.