Editor,
The ongoing recruitment of the APPSC is an important opportunity to strengthen the quality of higher education in the state. At this crucial juncture, it is imperative that the commission steadfastly adheres to the provisions already notified in Advertisement No. 1/2026, particularly the merit-based shortlisting of candidates for interview in the ratio of 1:3, based on the academic score prescribed under Appendix-II (Table 3B) of the UGC Regulations, 2018.
The very objective of the UGC Regulations, 2018 is to ensure that appointments in higher education institutions are made based on academic merit, research aptitude, and teaching credentials. The academic score, often referred to as the API, was introduced to recognise and reward consistent academic excellence throughout a candidate’s educational and professional journey. The UGC framework evaluates a candidate’s cumulative academic achievements beginning from graduation to postgraduate performance, and further assigns due weightage to research qualifications such as MPhil, PhD, post-doctoral research, quality publications in peer-reviewed journals, teaching experience, research projects, awards and national-level qualifications such as NET-JRF. This comprehensive evaluation reflects years of hard work, scholarly commitment and contribution to academia.
Therefore, the 1:3 shortlisting ratio is not merely a procedural requirement but an essential mechanism to ensure that candidates with stronger academic credentials receive due consideration before the interview stage. Diluting or modifying this criterion after the notification would undermine the very spirit behind the UGC regulations and could discourage deserving candidates who have invested years in building their academic profiles.
At the same time, it is equally important that the academic scores submitted by candidates are verified meticulously in accordance with the UGC Regulations, 2018. The regulations clearly provide that the period spent pursuing a regular full-time PhD shall ordinarily not be counted as teaching experience for recruitment purposes. Consequently, awarding academic score simultaneously for a regular full-time PhD period and for teaching experience covering the same duration would be inconsistent with the intent of the UGC provisions.
Similarly, the commission may also consider carefully verifying cases where candidates claim to have pursued a regular professional programme such as a BEd simultaneously with a regular full-time PhD. Since both are ordinarily full-time academic programmes, any overlap should be examined with due diligence and in accordance with the applicable university regulations and UGC guidelines (2022). In the interest of transparency, the commission may also consider cross-checking similar instances, if any, among candidates selected in the recently concluded PGT recruitment, wherever such verification is permissible under the applicable rules.
A transparent recruitment process demands not only strict adherence to the notified shortlisting ratio but also rigorous scrutiny of the academic credentials on which the academic scores are based. This would safeguard the credibility of the recruitment exercise and reinforce public confidence in the APPSC.
The future of higher education in the state depends on recruiting competent, meritorious and genuinely qualified teachers. Upholding the notified 1:3 shortlisting ratio and faithfully implementing the UGC Regulations, 2018 in both letter and spirit will ensure that the recruitment process remains fair, transparent and legally sound.
A concerned academic