CHANDIGARH, MAR 11: The decision of the state Government to enforce the UGC stipulation of a PhD degree as necessary qualification for the post of principal of colleges in Punjab has landed the colleges in a quandary. With very few senior teachers holding a PhD degree, most private colleges in the state are unable to find suitable candidates for the post.The situation arose when the office of DPI(C), Punjab circulated a copy of the UGC criterion for qualifations for the post of college principals. The recommendation was based on the Rastogi Committee Report which had stated that the essential qualification for post of principal was a PhD or an equivalent qualification.As many as 18 private colleges in the state are without a principal, and a major impediment in this regard is the requirement that a PhD should be recruited for the post of principal. Interviews have had to be cancelled because of non-availability of PhD degree holders. Meanwhile, the government colleges in the state are facing a problem - out of the 48 government colleges in Punjab, 22 are without a principal and 13 are holding their current duty charge, leaving only 13 colleges with a regular principal. Prominent colleges without a regular principal include Government College, Ludhiana, Mahindra College, Patiala, Government College for Women, Ludhiana, and Government College for Women, Patiala.The issue of filling the posts of principal through promotion, which began in December 1999, has still not been resolved with the Education Department not clearing the names of the selected candidates. The 22 colleges, which had principals with a current duty charge, have since then seen nine of them retiring from this temporary position.On the other hand, for the post of principals of private colleges, another issue has been that of mandatory qualification of 55 per cent marks in the post graduation degree. However, a letter from the UGC has now clarified that the criterion of marks should not be insisted upon for the post of principal or professors for those existing incumbents who were appointed earlier as per UGC norms. The All India Federation of University and College Teachers' Union has been demanding that the PhD criterion should be relaxed for those lecturers appointed prior to February 1987.
