Faculty recruitment rules in India: from policy to practice

Faculty recruitment in Indian universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) follows regulations set by the University Grants Commission (UGC) or other specific institutional frameworks. These rules aim to standardise hiring processes and qualifications. In order to maintain a merit-based, transparent hiring process, the norms govern qualifications, screening and selection committees, advertisement of posts, reservation guidelines, and ensuring equal and fair opportunity for all candidates.

Several higher education institutions have been accused of bypassing UGC norms by hiring staff in contractual or ad-hoc positions. There is also a large number of vacancies in permanent faculty positions, particularly in reserved categories in many universities. When the prescribed rules are not followed, students pay the price.

To discuss this topic, The Hindu will host a webinar titled, 'Faculty Recruitment Rules in India: From Policy to Practice', on October 17 at 5:00 p.m. The webinar will be moderated by M. Kalyanaraman, who heads the education vertical.

Register now for free to ask questions and interact with the panellists. The three best questions will receive a free online subscription to The Hindu.

Panellists

M. Jagadesh Kumar- Former UGC Chairperson

M. Jagadesh Kumar is the former Chairperson of University Grants Commission, serving from February 2022 to April 2025.He served as a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Delhi. He was the Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University from January 2016 till 2022.

Y.S.R. Murthy- Pro V-C of SRM School of Law

Prof. (Dr.) Y.S.R. Murthy is the Pro Vice Chancellor of the SRM School of Law under SRM Institute of Science and Technology. He served as the Registrar of O.P. Jindal Global University, and was the Founding Vice Chancellor of RV University. He serves as a National Coordinator for the Government of India's SWAYAM initiative, contributing to the promotion of accessible and technology-driven education.

Rituparna Patgiri- Assistant Professor, IIT-Guwahati

Rituparna Patgiri is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT-Guwahati. She co-founded Doing Sociology and served as Associate Editor of Society, a Springer Nature journal from 2023 to 2025. Currently, she is a guest Academic Editor at PLOS Global Public Health.

Balaji Alagurajan- Assistant Professor, Velammal Engineering College

Balaji Alagurajan is an Assistant Professor of English at Velammal Engineering College, Chennai, with sixteen years of teaching experience. He holds an M.A. in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies and an M.Phil. from Gandhigram Rural University and is a NET-qualified doctoral candidate at Bharathidasan University