Mumbai: The ongoing recruitment process for teachers in public universities across Maharashtra has triggered serious concerns among candidates, who say the state government’s new selection criteria violate University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines. Many applicants fear that despite meeting UGC’s eligibility standards, they are losing opportunities due to the state’s stricter scoring formula introduced in October.
The state is currently filling over 600 vacant teaching posts across 10 public universities. However, several candidates told HT that when they evaluate their academic records under UGC norms, they easily qualify, but when they apply the state’s criteria, their scores fall short of the minimum requirement.
One such applicant is Chaitanya Paithankar (name changed on request), who completed his PhD from the University of Mumbai, has authored eight research papers, and has several years of teaching experience. Under UGC norms, he scores around 75 points; but under the state’s system, his score is 47.4, below the 50-point cutoff needed to be called for an interview.
“There are unprecedented demands from universities. If I completed my degree from IITs, NITs, or central universities, I get 10 marks. But if I graduated from a public university, I get only 5 to 9. It is as if the state is degrading its own universities. This discrimination harms many candidates like me,” he said.
Another candidate said universities are insisting on single-author research papers, which he described as “unrealistic in today’s academic environment” where most research is collaborative. He questioned how universities expect something that is almost impossible in modern scientific research, adding that the new criteria clearly violate UGC norms.
The recruitment drive began in 2024 when the state government instructed universities to fill posts strictly on merit. According to officials, the current selection policy gives 80% weightage to academic qualifications, publications, experience, and teaching ability, and 20% weightage to the interview. Some universities argued that this formula favours PhD holders and undervalues candidates who have qualified via the National Eligibility Test (NET) or State Eligibility Test (SET).
“The governor is considering a revised 75-25 formula and will soon meet all vice-chancellors,” said a state official.
The delay and disputes have already affected staffing in several universities, impacting this year’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings. Recently, Vidyapeeth Shikshan Manch (VSM), an organisation affiliated with the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM), staged a protest outside the office of the joint director of the higher education department in Nagpur. ABRSM is a teachers’ organisation affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
VSM chairperson Kalpana Pande said, “UGC is the apex body. If state universities surpass UGC norms, it implies UGC criteria are lower than ours. The October 6 resolution is discriminatory. A student graduating from Gondwana University gets a lower score. Degree marks should not vary based on the university.”
Professor Kushal Mude, national convenor of the All India NET and SET Teachers Organisation, said, “There is injustice in giving NET/SET candidates only 6 marks, while PhD holders get 20. NET and SET are prestigious qualifying exams. We have requested the ministry to award 20 marks to candidates who have cleared both exams so they can cross the minimum 50 marks required for interview eligibility.”
A senior state official said that if recruitment continues to be delayed, it will be difficult for universities to maintain academic standards.
Prof Nitin Karmalkar, former vice-chancellor of Savitribai Phule Pune University and chairman of the state’s National Education Policy committee, said, “We are working to simplify the system and may propose a 50:50 formula for the selection process.”