AMCTA urges UGC to defer 2025 Regulations
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, February 26 2025: All Manipur College Teachers' Association (AMCTA) has submitted detailed feedback to the University Grants Commission (UGC) opposing its draft 2025 regulations for teacher appointments and academic standards, calling the move "unwarranted" ahead of an impending pay revision in 2026.The association raised 27 critical concerns, including issues tied to promotion criteria, vice chancellor appointments, and research requirements for college teachers.

AMCTA's feedback, submitted via email ahead of the UGC's February 28, 2025 deadline, challenges the timing of the draft UGC (Minimum Qualifications for Appointment and Promotion of Teachers and Academic Staff in Universities and Colleges) Regulations, 2025 .

The proposed rules aim to update 2018 norms and would apply to all central, state, and deemed universities, as well as affiliated colleges, impacting students and educators nationwide.

The UGC's draft regulations address cadre ratios, probation periods, teaching days, and ethical codes, among other areas.

However, AMCTA argued that introducing new norms now is premature, as the 2018 regulations - amended four times - remain unimplemented in many states.

Additionally, the Seventh Pay Review Committee's recommendations (underpinning the 2018 rules) are set to be revisited in 2026, with new pay-related regulations expected post-2026 .

In a statement, AMCTA general secretary Dr M Imocha Singh emphasised that successive UGC regulations (2010 and 2018) have historically followed pay revisions.

"Issuing the 2025 regulations now, just a year before the eighth pay review, will create confusion and multiplicity of norms," he said.

The association urged the UGC to defer the draft until after 2026, aligning it with the next pay committee's recommendations.

AMCTA also criticised the UGC for pushing "uniformity" through the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 without adequate consultation with state governments and stakeholders.

"Quality in higher education thrives on diversity and creativity, not rigid conformity," Dr M Imocha stated, advocating for flexible regulations that encourage innovation.

The UGC's 2018 regulations, like their 2010 predecessors, allowed teachers to choose between old and new norms until December 2024 .

However, delayed adoption by states has compounded implementation challenges.

AMCTA warned that overlapping regulations could exacerbate administrative bottlenecks, harming both educators and students.

The association urged the UGC to prioritise joint meetings with state government representatives and other stakeholders, before implementing the NEP 2020.It stressed that flexible guidelines, instead of strict uniform rules, are key to improving India's higher education standards.

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