Maharashtra’s government has altered university teacher recruitment rules just four months after their introduction. The revised norms, announced Wednesday, reduce the academic and research weightage to 60% from the previous 75%.
Recruitment Norms Revised
The original rules, implemented in October, emphasized academic, teaching, and research (ATR) credentials with a 75% score. The interview component, a subjective evaluation, was allocated 25%. This aimed to increase transparency and hiring standards.
The latest government resolution (GR) shifts the balance. Academic and research records now account for 60% of the total score. The remaining 40% is for subjective assessments: 20% for interview performance and 20% for teaching performance.
The Raj Bhavan, now Lok Bhavan, had initially pushed for limiting interviews to 20% to combat favoritism. The state eventually set it at 25% in the first notification.
Scoring System Changes
The differential scoring system, which assigned marks based on graduating institutions, has also been modified. Previously, institutions of national eminence received 100%, top Indian universities (NIRF top 100) or foreign universities (ranked 200-500) received 90%, other Indian universities 80%, and UGC-approved varsities 60%.
Under the revised rules, the top tier now includes only the NIRF top 100 Indian universities. This change impacts the entire scoring hierarchy.
Research Evaluation Adjusted
The criteria for evaluating research publications have been loosened. Previously, only papers indexed on databases like SciFinder, Web of Science, and Scopus were considered. The new rules accept any “peer reviewed” journal publication.
Teachers had voiced concerns that the earlier strict provisions disadvantaged candidates from marginalized sections. The government sought revisions to these norms.
Background to the Changes
The revised norms received approval from Governor Acharya Devvrat. He also serves as the chancellor of Maharashtra’s state public universities. Government officials stated that the more stringent initial criteria could have limited the candidate pool for vacant faculty positions.
Maharashtra’s public universities face significant teacher vacancies due to a decade-long hiring freeze. Recruitment processes initiated in 2024 were halted for revised, more transparent hiring rules. The process resumed in October last year but was again paused for the current review.