Bengal: Higher Edu department forms expert panel to review UGC draft regulations
Kolkata: The state Higher Education Department has constituted an eight-member expert committee to review the draft UGC (minimum qualifications for appointment and promotion of teachers and academic staff in universities and colleges and measures for the maintenance of standards in higher education) Regulations, 2025.
The committee will be chaired by Debnarayan Bandyopadhyay, advisor to the West Bengal State Council of Higher Education (WBSCHE), with the panel comprising prominent educationists and administrators. Among them are Nimai Chandra Saha, director of Public Instruction, West Bengal, and former vice-chancellor of Burdwan University; Dipak Kar, chairman of the West Bengal College Service Commission; Omprakash Mishra from Jadavpur University; Sabuj Kumar Chaudhuri, head of the Library and Information Science Department at Calcutta University; Souren Bandyapadhyay, vice-chancellor of West Bengal State University; Debojyoti Konar, registrar of Presidency University; and Siladitya Chakraborty, senior law officer at the Higher Education department, who will serve as convener of the committee. The department has requested that the committee submit its report by January 31, as the deadline set by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for providing feedback is February 5.
The draft regulations, released recently by Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, focus on revising the 2018 UGC Regulations. The key aspects of the proposed changes include flexibility for candidates to pursue teaching careers in any subjects qualified by National Eligibility Test (NET) or State Eligibility Test (SET), even if different from their previous degrees. Additionally, the regulations prioritise Ph.D. specialisation.
The draft encourages the use of Indian languages in academic publications and degree programmes, while eliminating score-based shortlists, focusing on a broader range of qualifications, including notable contributions. Additionally, it establishes dedicated recruitment pathways for experts in arts, sports and traditional disciplines, also providing opportunities for accomplished sportspersons, including those with disabilities, to enter the teaching profession.
