Assam: AASU miffed at draft regulations for college employees’ appointment

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Assam government has drafted new service regulations for college educators and personnel in alignment with the National Education Policy 2020. These regulations mandate the direct recruitment of assistant professors, 'term principals,' and librarians through a designated recruitment board, as outlined in the draft rules.

The draft of the proposed Assam College Employees (Provincialized) Regulations, 2024, which amended the Assam College Employees (Provincialized) Act, 2005, is regarding the appointment of teachers and other staff at provincialized colleges and related employment rules.

The draft has run into some controversy as the recruitment will be held through recruitment exams, with the merit of the candidates not getting weightage, especially of college teachers who are already eligible to apply for college teaching positions after clearing NET or SLET exams. So, introducing an additional exam for their recruitment would be illogical, a section of such candidates complained.

For the post of principal in a college, the minimum eligibility criteria are a master's degree with at least 55% of marks, a Ph.D., and 15 years of total service, along with the necessary ranking in the Academic Performance Index (API) as notified by the government from time to time. For the post of assistant professor, the candidates must hold a master's degree with NET/SLET and a Ph.D. acquired prior to 2010. As for the post of librarians, candidates with a master's degree in Library Science with NET/SLET and a Ph.D. acquired prior to 2010 are eligible. Candidates for the post of Assistant Librarians should have a bachelor's degree in Library Science.

For the post of junior assistants, library assistants, and laboratory assistants, the candidates must possess a bachelor's degree with a minimum six-month' computer diploma. Candidates for laboratory bearer and grade IV (MTS) should have the qualification of being HSLC passed, while library bearer must be HSSLC passed. Recruitment exams for the post of Assistant Professor will have a maximum of 90 marks for the screening examination and 10 marks in the interview.

The Cotton University PhD Researchers Association (CURSA) on Friday expressed its concerns over the draft of the proposed Assam College Employees (Provincialized) Regulations, 2024, amending the Assam College Employees (Provincialized) Act, 2005, regarding the appointment of teachers and other staff at provincialized colleges and related employment rules. President Jintu Thakuria and general secretary Tribhujbal Prakash of CURSA's ad-hoc committee stated in a press release that if the Assam College Employees (Provincialized) Regulations, 2024, come into effect, it will have devastating consequences for the higher education system in the state.

"The draft proposes that for college teacher recruitment, instead of considering qualifications such as PhD, MPhil, research experience, teaching experience, and academic competency, a civil service-like exam conducted by the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) will be introduced. In such a scenario, the research efforts and contributions of candidates will be rendered meaningless in the recruitment process," stated the release.

All Assam Students' Union (AASU) has also opposed the draft regulations and wrote to the Chief Minister with its opposition to the draft. AASU president Utpal Sarma said, "The draft regulations are unnecessary and short-sighted, and it's not acceptable by any means. At a time when NEP 2020 has given more importance to research-based education, the draft completely makes Ph.D.s irrelevant. As a result, the draft has put thousands of students in a quandary and made them worried. The recruitment exam for Assistant Professor is a wrong decision, as they are already qualified after passing NET, SLET, and CUET. Organizing an exam akin to that for civil services is not necessary and relevant. So, the decision should be shelved. The appointments as assistant professors should be as per UGC norms."

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