Nagpur: Maharashtra state govt’s revised faculty recruitment rules for state public universities have formally come into effect, introducing a clearly defined weightage-based selection system aimed at making the appointments more transparent, objective and merit-oriented than earlier. The new framework, notified by the higher and technical education department on Wednesday, applies to the recruitment of assistant professors, associate professors and professors across all state public universities.Under the revised norms, the selection process will be conducted on a total of 100 marks, with 60% weightage assigned to academic and research credentials, while the remaining 40% weightage will be shared equally between teaching skill assessment and interview performance. Academic and research evaluation will include qualifications, teaching and postdoctoral experience, research publications, books, patents and other intellectual property, awards, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), free or low-cost online courses designed for unlimited participation and open access via the web, featuring university-level materials, PhD guidance and externally funded research projects.A significant feature of the new system is academic scores will be linked to the ranking of the degree-awarding institution, including National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings for Indian universities and QS, THE and ARWU rankings for foreign universities, with proportionate weightage applied accordingly. Teaching skills will be assessed through mandatory mock lectures conducted before selection committee, while interview performance will be evaluated on parameters such as subject knowledge, critical thinking, future academic plans, outreach and understanding of National Education Policy.The final merit list will be prepared by combining scores under all 3 components, and only candidates securing a minimum of 50% overall marks will be considered eligible for selection. To further strengthen transparency and reduce subjectivity, the rules mandate audio-video recording of entire selection committee proceedings, which will be sealed and preserved confidentially and produced only if required.Govt clarified that ongoing recruitment may be completed under revised weightage system, and that all future appointments in state universities will compulsorily follow these rules, which now came into force following issuance of this GR.
