EduLegaL News, New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) after facing several queries on the issue of validity of PhD degrees earned through foreign university for admissions and recruitment in Indian institutions has now come forward with their clarification.

In a recent notice issued by the higher education regulator dated June 8 it has highlighted their decision taken in March this year over the issue. The UGC now claims that any foreign PhD degree that has been ratified by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) would be treated at par with the PhD degrees earned from Indian universities.

The lack of clarify often marred the recruitment of Assistant Professors in Indian universities who used to hold foreign PhD degrees. To allay the apprehensions of the teaching fraternity, the UGC now says that an AIU ratification of their degrees could be of help for the which can help them from exempting the NET for their recruitments.

In the notice issued on their website recently, the UGC said, “Any foreign PhD degree which is held equivalent by AIU by following its own procedure may also be treated valid for exemption from NET for appointment as Assistant Professor in Indian Universities and Colleges.”

It also added, “It is, therefore, clarified that the universities can use the above provision also for determining the validity of foreign PhD degrees for exemption from NET for appointment as Assistant Professor in Indian Universities/Colleges.”

The position earlier as per Clause 12 of University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of MPhil/PhD) Regulations, 2016 was that if the MPhil/PhD degree is awarded by a foreign university, the Indian institution considering such a degree shall refer the issue to a Standing Committee constituted by the concerned institution for the purpose of determining the equivalence of the degree awarded by the foreign University. This obviously led to vesting lot of discretion with the Institution. Instead the present clarification brings a standardisation.

Nevertheless, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on June 13 also announced in a press conference in New Delhi that PhD degrees would be made mandatory for the recruitment of teachers in Indian universities from 2021-22.

Ravi Bhardwaj | edulegal.org | edulaws.com | mail@edulegal.in

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he University Grants Commission (UGC) after facing several queries on the issue of validity of PhD degrees earned through foreign university for admissions and recruitment in Indian institutions has now come forward with their clarification.