Mizoram govt to stop hiring college teachers without UGC NET: Higher Education Minister

The Mizoram government will no longer employ college teachers who have not cleared the UGC National Eligibility Test, Higher Education Minister Vanlalthlana said on Friday, March 6.

Responding to a query in the state assembly, the minister said clearing the NET, a mandatory qualification prescribed by the University Grants Commission, will now be compulsory for recruitment as college teachers in the state.

He said the decision was a difficult one and that the appointments of teachers who have not qualified NET will officially cease at the end of March.

Defending the teachers, Vanlalthlana said they should not be held personally responsible for the situation, as NET was not mentioned as a requirement in the job advertisements at the time of their recruitment. The qualification was made mandatory by the government only later, after they had already been appointed.

The minister also spoke about teachers recruited through the Mizoram Public Service Commission under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan in 2019.

He said that after completing two years of service, these teachers are no longer classified under the central scheme and the previous state government had taken full responsibility for paying their salaries.

Vanlalthlana informed the House that the process for regularising these teachers is currently underway and has already been discussed by the Council of Ministers. While some administrative details remain to be finalised, he assured that a decision regarding their permanent status will be announced soon.