Editor,
I wish to express deep concern and dissatisfaction over the recruitment process for teaching positions at the Arunachal Pradesh University (APU), Pasighat since its inception.
As per the UGC guidelines of July 2018 (effective July 2021), a PhD degree has been made mandatory for appointment to assistant professor (entry level) positions in universities. However, it is disappointing to note that despite a good number of qualified doctoral candidates being available in the list, several selections have been made in favour of candidates without a PhD or relevant research and teaching experience. It is deeply troubling that the university has framed its eligibility criteria in a way that makes a PhD degree non-mandatory.
A university, by its nature, must stand as a centre of higher learning, innovation, and research. If the university sidelines research orientation right from its recruitment process, one wonders what direction it is heading in. The fact that interviews reportedly lacked research-oriented questioning makes one ponder whether this was truly a university-level selection or something akin to a school-level recruitment exercise.
During the interview process, the selection board must prioritize candidates with proven research and teaching credentials, along with strong presentation and communication skills befitting the university level, the highest level of education. At this level, the Academic Performance Indicator (API) score should be a mandatory criterion to ensure transparency and merit-based selection. Emphasis must rest on tangible contributions in research and teaching, which reflect true competence. Without this focus, the very purpose of establishing a premier institution of higher learning in Arunachal will remain unfulfilled.
The APU is a newborn institution, and hence its foundation must be built on quality, merit, and adherence to national standards. Instead, if recruitment is reduced to an eye-wash exercise, prioritizing ‘near and dear ones’ over merit, the credibility of the university will be at stake.
No matter how much the government speaks of providing quality education, the reality is that by allowing such practices, the system itself is undermining quality and injecting incompetence into the higher education sector. The ultimate sufferers will be the students and the reputation of the university.
It is high time that recruitment in the higher education sector strictly followed UGC regulations, with merit, research, and quality education as the guiding principles. Besides, the API score must be made mandatory at the university level to ensure a fair and transparent selection of candidates. Only through such measures can the higher education sector truly flourish and fulfill the academic aspirations of the state.
A disheartened aspirant