The State Government as well as the select committee of Assembly is said to be not on the same page in giving exemptions to the doctoral degree holders in facing eligibility test for the lecturers’ appointment.
The situation has emerged after the department of higher education cited the Supreme Court’s order delivered on March 16 last year, giving no exemptions to the doctoral degree holders from taking the eligibility test.
The Select Committee is seized with the issue after a bill related to amendment to Jharkhand State University Act, making a provision for holding a state-level eligibility test among others, had been referred to it during the winter session.
Stressing the need for maintaining excellence in standards of higher education, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity of the 2009 University Grants Commission Regulations by which NET/SlET (state level eligibility test) was laid down as the minimum eligibility condition for recruitment and appointment of lecturers in universities and colleges.
The court further said: “There may have been exemptions laid down by the UGC in the past but the Central government now as a matter of policy feels that any exemption would compromise the excellence of teaching standards in universities/colleges/ institutions governed by the UGC. Obviously, there is nothing arbitrary or discriminatory in this - in fact it is a core function of the UGC to see that such standards do not get diluted.”
After the department of higher education informed the committee that it won’t be possible to exempt the PhD holders from taking the eligibility test, the latter asked it find out the recruitment rules being followed in four neighouring states.
Ironically, the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Odisha said that they were ignorant of the Apex Court order and were recruiting the faculties under the old norms.
“Ignorance (of other states) can’t be an excuse for us. We can’t ignore the Apex Court order,” said a higher education department official, requesting anonymity.
The departmental officials are to hold parley with the select committee members on January 28 with full details.
The department has also sought the opinion of Advocate General Binod Poddar in this regard. The AG also said that it won’t be possible to give exemptions to PhD holders from the state level eligibility test in view of the Supreme Court order.