PhD entrance exam for HPU faculty opposed

Shimla, July 18

The Himachal Pradesh Government College Teachers’ Association (HGCTA) has opposed the PhD entrance exam for faculty members of the HPU and its affiliated government colleges.

“It has come to the notice of the HGCTA that the HPU authorities will conduct the PhD entrance exam for the faculty members. It will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the Executive Council on July 20 and they will oppose it,” said general secretary, HGCTA, Dr RL Sharma.

It has come to the notice of the Himachal Pradesh Government College Teachers Association that the HPU authorities will conduct the PhD entrance exam for the faculty members. It will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the Executive Council on July 20 and they will oppose it. — Dr RL Sharma, General secy, HGCTA

Government teachers are placed on the seniority list on the basis of their recruitment and the quota for one seat in all departments for the faculty members of the HPU-affiliated colleges to pursue PhD on the basis of seniority exists since 2011.

Teachers working in the HPU and collages have qualified exams and several faculty members are waiting for their turn to pursue the PHD programme as per their seniority list. They will be left in the lurch. The proposal to admit faculty though an entrance exam is a violation of service rules, the members rued.

The syllabus for the test will be of the postgraduate level. However, most teachers in the colleges are teaching the undergraduate classes (UG) and are posted in rural areas and it will be difficult for them to compete with the new entrants, who will have an edge, they stated.

As per the new provisions, PhD will be mandatory to become associate professors in the colleges and a change in the parameters will deny promotion to senior college teachers. In total, senior teachers of 305 colleges will be hit by the new rule.