From mid-2021, PhD a must for university asst professors: Prakash Javadekar

Current rules allow hirinf of postgraduates who have cleared National Eligibility Test; new rule will apply to all universities across the country

The Union government has made doctoral degrees mandatory for direct recruitment of assistant professors in all universities from July 2021.

The existing University Grants Commission rules allow universities to hire postgraduates who have cleared the National Eligibility Test (NET).

The government has not changed the recruitment criteria for colleges at the entry level of the lecturer. They may, for this post, either hire PhDs or postgraduates who have cleared the NET. However, for a college lecturer to apply for the next higher position, of assistant professor, a PhD degree will be necessary from July 2021.

The country has 864 universities, 40,026 colleges and