Hyderabad: The Conclave of State Higher Education Ministers-2025 organised under the aegis of the Department of Higher Education, Karnataka, on Wednesday deliberated on the various provisions that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has notified in its draft regulations related to the minimum qualifications for the appointment of teaching and non-teaching staff in universities and colleges.

The Conclave was attended by the Higher Education Ministers and representatives from Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka. The Ministers deliberated on the UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment and Promotion of Teachers and Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures or the Maintenance of Standards in Higher Education) Regulations, 2025. Besides, the Grading of Higher Education Institutions based on the implementation of NEP 2020.

The Conclave passed a 15-point joint resolution. Accordingly, the resolution stressed that the State Governments must be given a pivotal role in the appointment of Vice Chancellors for State Public Universities. The draft UGC regulations do not envisage any role for the State Governments in the appointment of the Vice Chancellors of Public Universities established under State Acts and thus impinge on the legitimate rights of the State in a federal set-up. The regulations severely curtail the rights of the States in constituting the search-cum selection committees for the selection of Vice Chancellors. The resolution demanded that the provision relating to appointing non-academics to be appointed as Vice-Chancellors to be withdrawn. It said that the qualifications, terms and eligibility for appointment of Vice Chancellors require a serious re-consideration as they impinge upon the standards of higher education.

Imposing all the proposals in the NEP as mandatory and taking punitive measures for non-compliance are really dictatorial and are against the spirit of autonomy of the States in a federal framework, the Ministers opined.