ANS I New Delhi: University Grants Commission (UGC) on Tuesday announced that PhD will not be mandatory for recruitment as assistant professors till June 2023, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ph D was made mandatory for direct recruitment by the UGC in 2018 and will remain so through 2021. Applicants from across the country, however, pleaded with the government to delay the rule’s implementation because of the challenges they face finishing their PhDs under the current circumstances.
In view of COVID-19 pandemic, UGC issued a circular saying it has decided to extend the date of applicability of PhD as mandatory qualification from July 1, 2021 to July 1, 2023. A gazette notification has also been issued in this regard on 11 October.