The All Nagaland College Students’ Union (ANCSU) has strongly opposed any proposal to delink the PhD qualification from the prescribed criteria for promotion to the posts of Associate Professor and Professor, while also rejecting blanket regularisation of serving guest, ad hoc and contract lecturers.
In a representation to the Chief Secretary, Government of Nagaland, ANCSU president, Kivika Yeptho and general secretary Sotilo Tep stated that any move to dilute the prescribed qualifications would be inconsistent with the regulatory framework governing higher education, citing the Nagaland Higher Education Service Rules, 2015, and relevant UGC Regulations.
The Union reminded that the Nagaland Higher Education Service Rules, 2015 specifically provides that an Assistant Professor completing the prescribed period of service in the relevant grade may progress to the next stage subject to the qualifying conditions and the API based PBAS requirements prescribed by the UGC Regulations.
It said the provisions concerning advancement to the higher academic levels expressly recognize the significance of the Ph.D. qualification, adding the Ph.D. degree is a mandatory qualification for appointment and promotion as Professor, while the prescribed criteria for advancement from Assistant Professor at Selection Grade/Academic Level 12 to Associate Professor at Academic Level 13A also requires a Ph.D. degree in the concerned, allied or relevant discipline, alongside the prescribed teaching experience, academic contributions, publications and other requirements.
The Union objected to any proposal to delink the Ph.D qualification from the prescribed promotion criteria. It warned that any dilution of prescribed qualifications for senior academic positions, if undertaken without a clear statutory and regulatory basis, may adversely affect the quality of teaching, research, academic supervision and institutional governance.
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ANCSU also expressed strong opposition to the regularisation of all working guest, ad hoc and contract lecturers. While acknowledging their contribution to academic activities and students, the Union said blanket regularisation could deprive qualified and deserving young aspirants of opportunities to enter the teaching profession through a fair and transparent selection process.
“As such, this consideration must not come at the cost of transparency, merit and equal opportunity for eligible aspirants,” it stated.
The Union urged the State Government and the Higher Education Department to reject any proposal to remove the PhD requirement for promotion to Associate Professor and Professor. It further called for all future recruitment to be conducted through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) to ensure transparency and meritocracy.
Reiterating that the appeal is not intended to undermine the legitimate service interests of the teaching fraternity, the ANCSU said their appeal is to preserve the sanctity of the rules and regulations governing higher education and to ensure that the interests of faculty members and students are balanced within a transparent and academically credible framework.
The Union stressed that academic standards, merit and institutional integrity must remain non-negotiable pillars of higher education. “Any dilution of these standards could have consequences that may affect the quality and credibility of higher education in Nagaland,” it added.
