Ministry of Education asks central universities to stop recruitment, except online interviews for statutory and medical posts

The Ministry of Education's Department of Higher Education on August 25 asked all central universities to defer recruitment to all general posts — teaching and non-teaching — till the lockdown is lifted completely. However, the universities can fill up vacancies in statutory posts and those involved in COVID-19 management through online interviews.

"I am directed to say that filling up of general posts in Central Universities may be deferred till complete lifting of lockdown. However, statutory posts and posts for management of COVID-19 related services like doctors, nurses, staff related to hospitals, labs etc may be filled through online interviews," the letter from Deputy Secretary Ravi Shanker said. 

Central universities like the Central University of Rajasthan had earlier posted advertisements for both teaching and non-teaching staff. The erstwhile Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) had asked the university to deter from conducting interviews for teaching positions online and mentioned that there has been no policy decision yet. The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers' Association (JNUTA) had also written to the MHRD that JNU has been conducting online interviews and urged them to take similar steps in case of their university. But there has been no reply from the ministry as of yet.

The directive from the MHRD to the Central University of Rajasthan was issued on July 29. "A policy decision on online selection of teaching faculty is yet to be taken by the ministry," it said. "It would be strange if the ministry has taken a different view in case of another central university, that too one located in the capital. We have not seen any similar step by the ministry in the matter of JNU recruitments taking place right under its nose," said JNUTA Secretary Surajit Mazumder.