New Delhi: Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has prohibited the University Grants Commission (UGC) from taking up requests from the universities to specifically exempt them from the necessary National Eligibility Test (NET) for the appointment of lecturers. As per sources, UGC, through a resolution on February 23 decided to exempt certain universities on specific requests to grant exemptions to appoint the lecturers on the basis of NET.
The Ministry in a notification on Tuesday i.e. March 30, 2010, under Section 20 of the UGC Act, described this decision as being opposing to the national policy of education and urged the commission not to implement it. The reason of the ministry issuing the notice to the UGC comes in the wake of complaints being posted on the issue of 'gross violation' by the commission, to allow exemptions to specific individuals from the minimum eligibility criteria, which is NET/ State Level Eligibility Test (SLET) for recruitment, set by the UGC itself. The Section 20 of the UGC Act states that in case there is a dispute, then the decision of the Centre will hold.
As per the standards prescribed by the Commission under the M Phil/ PhD Regulations, 2009, those having obtained a PhD degree were deemed to be provided with the exemptions. The UGC was also authorized to provide relaxations, though only for a specific period, with prescribed qualifications in any particular subject in which NET was not being conducted or not enough candidates were available with NET qualification. With no individual application allowed to be entertained, any relaxation if allowed, was ought to have a sound justification and would be allowed for a particular subject to affected universities for a specific period.
Further, the HRD Ministry reminded the UGC that it is only after considering the Mungekar Committee report, which reviewed the NET and UGC's recommendations that it had asked the commission to notify that NET/ SLET would be the minimum eligibility conditions for the appointment of lecturers in universities and colleges.
