"Haryana HC Quashes Assistant Professor Recruitment, Violating UGC Norms: A Blow to State's Education Landscape"

HC quashes Haryana Asst Prof recruitment, says criteria adopted violates UGC norms The Punjab and Haryana High Court has delivered a major blow to the Haryana government by quashing the recruitment of 613 Assistant Professor posts in the state's government colleges. The court ruled that the exam-based selection process adopted by the state government violates the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms, 2018. The court's order has left over 13,000 aspirants, who had applied for the posts, disappointed and uncertain about their future. The recruitment process was initiated by the Haryana government in 2022, with the first round of exams taking place in January 2023. The court's decision is seen as a significant setback for the Haryana government, which had claimed that the exam-based selection process was necessary to ensure merit-based appointments. However, the court observed that the UGC norms, 2018, clearly stipulate that the selection of Assistant Professors should be based on a combination of academic credentials and a written examination. The court's judgment has sparked concerns about the fairness and transparency of the recruitment process in the state's government colleges. The Haryana government had allocated Rs 13 crore for the recruitment process, which is now set to be repeated. The court's order is likely to impact the careers of thousands of aspirants who had prepared for the exams. Many of them had taken leave from their jobs, incurred significant expenses, and sacrificed their personal time to prepare for the exams. The opposition parties have welcomed the court's decision, saying that it has exposed the Haryana government's "arrogance" and "inefficiency". Experts say that the court's judgment sets a precedent for transparency and accountability in government recruitment processes. The Haryana government has been ordered to repeat the recruitment process in strict accordance with the UGC norms, 2018. The court's decision has raised several questions about the recruitment process in the state's government colleges. Do you think the exam-based selection process is the best way to ensure merit-based appointments, or should the selection process be based on a combination of academic credentials and other factors? Share your views on RAJNEET and let's join the debate.