UGC Clarifies API Score Calculation for Teachers on Deputation and Paid Leave

The UGC's clarification comes after several institutions cited a clause in the 2018 regulations stating that teachers must be in active service to be eligible for promotion under CAS.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a public notice to clarify a provision in the UGC Regulations 2018 concerning the calculation of Academic Performance Indicator (API) scores for teachers on various types of paid leave. This notice, originally dated September 5, 2018, is being reposted in response to requests from institutions seeking clarification on promotion under the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS).

The UGC's clarification comes after several institutions cited a clause in the 2018 regulations stating that teachers must be in active service to be eligible for promotion under CAS. This has raised questions about the status of teachers who were on deputation or on paid leave.

The UGC Notice states that in a meeting held on August 2, 2018, the UGC resolved to extend the relaxation for different kinds of leave in the calculation of Academic/Research scores as provided in the Note in Table I (Appendix II) of the UGC Regulations 2018. This extension applies to teachers governed by both the 2018 and the 2010 UGC Regulations.

For the purpose of calculating the API score, the UGC has specified that periods spent on various types of paid leave, such as Maternity Leave, Child Care Leave, Study Leave, Medical Leave, Extraordinary Leave, and Deputation, shall be excluded from the grading assessment. Teachers will be assessed for the remaining period of the assessment duration, and this assessment will be extrapolated to cover the entire period. This ensures that teachers on such leaves or deputation are not disadvantaged in their promotion prospects under CAS, provided the leave was approved by the competent authority following the procedures laid out in UGC Regulations and the relevant Acts, Statutes, and Ordinances of the parent institution.

This move aims to ensure fair treatment and equal opportunities for teachers who need to take leave for various legitimate reasons, maintaining the standards and integrity of the academic promotion process. For further details, institutions and educators are encouraged to review the full public notice issued by the UGC.