Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Education addressed questions regarding the Draft UGC Regulations, 2025. The regulations aim to infuse innovation, inclusivity, and dynamism into higher education, aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047. The response also clarifies the roles of state governments in Vice-Chancellor appointments, faculty-student ratios, and the recruitment of teachers from backward classes.
Key Points / Main Content:
UGC Regulations 2025 Objectives:
* Infuse innovation, inclusivity, flexibility, and dynamism into higher education.
* Empower teachers and academic staff.
* Strengthen academic standards.
* Align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
* Achieve educational excellence for Viksit Bharat 2047.
Vice-Chancellor Appointments:
* Regulations uphold India's federal structure, balancing national standards and state autonomy.
* Propose a three-member Search-Cum-Selection Committee with members nominated by impartial Statutory Bodies.
* Ensure transparency and university autonomy.
Faculty to Student Ratio:
* UGC Regulations 2010 and 2018 require one Professor, two Associate Professors, and four Assistant Professors for starting a new department.
* Central Universities follow faculty-student ratios approved by their statutory bodies.
* Filling vacancies is a continuous process due to promotions, retirements, resignations, deaths, and expansion.
Recruitment of Backward Classes:
* The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Act, 2019, ensures reservation of posts for SC, ST, OBC, and EWS categories.
* The Act treats University/Central Educational Institution as a unit for reservation, not individual departments.
* UGC launched CU-CHAYAN portal for transparent faculty recruitment across Central Universities.
* Special drives were conducted to fill backlog vacancies for SCs, STs, and OBCs in CHEIs, starting in August 2021.
State Universities:
* Established by State Legislature or provincial Act.
* Academic, administrative, and financial matters governed by state rules/regulations.
Impact Analysis:
University Grants Commission (UGC):
* Impact: Responsible for implementing and overseeing the new regulations to improve higher education standards.
* Action Required: Ensure compliance with the new regulations and guidelines, including those related to faculty appointments and reservation policies.
Central Higher Educational Institutes (CHEIs):
* Impact: Required to adhere to the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers' Cadre) Act, 2019, and participate in recruitment drives.
* Action Required: Utilize the CU-CHAYAN portal for faculty recruitment and continue efforts to fill backlog vacancies for SC, ST, and OBC categories.
State Governments:
* Impact: While the UGC regulations aim to balance state autonomy with national standards, state governments still oversee State Universities.
* Action Required: Ensure State Universities comply with relevant state laws and regulations, especially concerning administrative and financial matters.
Universities and Colleges:
* Impact: Subject to the new faculty-student ratio guidelines and must adhere to reservation policies for faculty appointments.
* Action Required: Review and adjust faculty hiring practices to meet the required ratios and reservation norms, and utilize the CU-CHAYAN portal for recruitment (Central Universities).
Teachers and Academic Staff:
* Impact: The regulations aim to empower them and improve academic standards.
* Action Required: Be aware of the new regulations concerning appointment and promotion criteria.
Students:
* Impact: Expected to benefit from improved academic standards, a more diverse faculty, and better educational resources.
* Action Required: No direct action required.
Key Entities Referenced
University Grants Commission (UGC): A statutory body in India responsible for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education.
Draft UGC Regulations, 2025: Proposed regulations by the University Grants Commission (UGC) aimed at improving higher education standards.
National Education Policy NEP 2020: A comprehensive framework for education in India, aiming to transform the education system.
Viksit Bharat 2047: A vision for India to become a developed nation by 2047.
Central Educational Institutions Reservation in Teachers Cadre Act, 2019: An act to provide reservation of posts in appointments of teachers in Central Higher Educational Institutes for various categories.
Uttar Pradesh: A state in India, mentioned in the context of compliance with teacher appointment norms and representation of backward classes in Universities and colleges.
CUCHAYAN: A common portal launched by UGC for faculty recruitment in Central Universities.
Central Higher Educational Institutes (CHEIs): Higher education institutions funded and managed by the central government.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 71
ANSWERED ON- 21/07/2025
DRAFT UGC REGULATIONS, 2025
†71. SHRI RAKESH RATHOR:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
(a) the salient features and objectives of the Draft Regulation, 2025 proposed by the
University Grants Commission (UGC);
(b) the objective behind eliminating the role of State Governments in the appointment
of Vice-Chancellors in University as per the proposed format and the manner in
which this step is likely to improve the quality of higher education in the country;
(c) the standard of approved number of teachers in proportion to the number of
students in every University and colleges of the country and the status of compliance
thereof in Uttar Pradesh;
(d) whether the number of teachers belonging to backward classes have been
appointed in Universities and colleges of Uttar Pradesh as per the norms prescribed
by UGC; and
(e) if so, the details thereof and if not, whether the Government is formulating any
time-bound action plan for filling up the vacant posts for backward classes in the
near future?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)
(a): With the objective to infuse innovation, inclusivity, flexibility and dynamism in
every aspect of higher education, empowering teachers and academic staff,
strengthen academic standards and to pave the way for achieving educational
excellence and to make it in sync with the ethos of National Education Policy (NEP)
2020, the University Grants Commission (UGC) drafted UGC (Minimum
Qualifications for Appointment & Promotion of Teachers and Academic Staff in
Universities and Colleges and Measures for the Maintenance of Standards in Higher
Education) Regulations, 2025 for wider stakeholders consultation. It strives for
driving transformations in the education system and propelling the country towards
Viksit Bharat 2047 through quality education and research.
(b): The UGC Draft Regulations 2025 strongly uphold and reinforce India’s federal
structure by balancing national standards and state autonomy in higher education.
These regulations propose a three member Search-Cum-Selection Committee for
appointment of Vice-Chancellor. These members are to be nominated by impartialStatutory Bodies to ensure transparency in selection process as well as to ensure
autonomy of the University. These Regulations are designed to ensure academic
excellence while respecting the diverse educational frameworks of different states.
(c to e): As per UGC Regulations, 2010 on Minimum Qualifications for Appointment
of Teachers and Other Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges and Measures
for the maintenance of standards in Higher Education, one post of Professor, two
Associate Professors and four Assistant Professors are required for starting a new
department and this provision continues in UGC Regulations 2018. The Central
Universities follow faculty student ratio as approved by their respective statutory
bodies.
Occurring of vacancies and filling thereof is a continuous process. The
vacancies arise due to promotion, retirement, resignation, death, opening of new
institutions, schemes or projects, and additional requirements on account of
enhanced students’ strength and expansion of capacity in existing institutions.
The Government, in order to ensure uniformity in adoption of reservation
norms, and adequate representation of SC, ST and OBC category faculty positions
in the Central Higher Educational Institutes (CHEIs), enacted the Central Educational
Institutions (Reservation in Teachers Cadre) Act, 2019 to provide for the reservation
of posts in appointments by direct recruitment of persons belonging to the Scheduled
Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, the socially and educationally backward classes and
the economically weaker sections, to teachers’ cadre in these CHEIs. This Act
removes the difficulty regarding the reservation of posts in appointment by treating
University/Central Educational Institution as a cadre or unit for the purpose of
reservation instead of individual departments.
UGC has launched a common portal ‘CU-CHAYAN’ for faculty recruitment,
making provision for listing of vacancies/advertisements/ jobs across all Central
Universities, thus making the entire recruitment process more transparent and
accessible.
In August, 2021, all CHEIs were requested to undertake special drive to fill
backlog vacancies of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other
Backward Castes (OBCs) in their institutions in Mission Mode. The CHEIs undertook
special recruitment drives to fill such vacancies. In September, 2022, this Ministry
had also exhorted all the CHEIs to fill up all the vacancies in Mission Mode including
those of SC, ST and OBC. From September 2022, CUs have undertaken Mission
Mode recruitment drive to fill the vacancies including those of SC, ST and OBC.
Further, State Universities are established by an Act of the State Legislature
or provincial Act and comes under purview of the concerned State Government.
Academic as well as administrative and financial matters of the state University are
governed by the rules/regulations made under the provisions of the Act by which it
has been established.
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