SSUM urges President to intervene in MU job notice row
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 05 2025: Socialist Students' Union of Manipur (SSUM) has urged the President of India, who serves as the Visitor of Manipur University, to immediately intervene in the alleged regulatory violations surrounding the university's latest faculty recruitment notification.

The complaint pointed to Advertisement No 3/2025 dated May 23, 2025, issued by the University pertaining to recruitment of assistant professors in the Department of Teacher Education.

In a memorandum submitted to the President, SSUM highlighted that the recruitment process is in violation of both the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) Regulations, 2014 (as amended in 2017) and the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms, warning that the ongoing process could compromise the university's academic integrity and accreditation status if not rectified promptly.

A key concern raised by SSUM is the notification's failure to clearly specify whether the advertised posts are meant for B Ed or M Ed programmes.

Citing Appendices 4 and 5 of the NCTE Regulations, the student union pointed out that these two programmes require different staffing structures and qualifications.

The current advertisement violates mandated norms such as the 1:25 faculty-student ratio for B Ed and the 1:10 ratio for M Ed .

SSUM also raised alarm over the misclassification and unbalanced distribution of subject specialisations, stating that the notification allocates posts disproportionately, particularly in Mathematics pedagogy, without reflecting student intake or actual academic needs.

Moreover, the absence of clarity between methodology (pedagogy) and perspective (foundation) areas undermines the design and philosophy of teacher education under NCTE guidelines, the memorandum said.

Another issue highlighted is the use of the term "allied subjects", which SSUM described as ambiguous and non-compliant.

The term is neither defined under NCTE regulations nor listed in any of its appendices, and has also not been defined by Manipur University.

This could result in the recruitment Of underqualified candidates and seriously affect the academic standard of the programme.

The student body further criticised the University for treating the entire Teacher Education department as a monolithic structure, ignoring the legally mandated separation between B Ed and M Ed courses as stipulated by NCTE.

The union warned that such treatment not only violates statutory norms but also creates structural loopholes that could have long-term implications on the university's academic standing.

In its representation, SSUM called on the President to halt the ongoing recruitment process until it is made compliant with national regulations; initiate a formal enquiry into how the notification was framed and approved; direct university authorities to clearly distinguish between B Ed and M Ed posts; strictly adhere to prescribed faculty qualification and student-teacher ratios; and remove vague terminology like "allied subjects" by specifying subject specialisation as per regulatory standards.

The Union urged the President to act in the interest of justice and quality assurance in higher education.

"Your prompt and firm action will help restore faith in the university's recruitment process and protect the future of quality teacher education in the region," the letter stated.

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