Beyond Equivalence | Where Education, Fairness and Justice Meet

The useful part

Do recruitment rules remain suitable when institutions, courses, technology and responsibilities change over time? Recruitment rules are framed to meet the needs of institutions at a particular point of time. When the structure and functioning of an institution change, the rules governing its employees should also be reviewed periodically.

How it works

• When the present recruitment framework was developed, there were only a few Government Polytechnics and technical education was largely focused on conventional Engineering disciplines.
• This issue is particularly important in the case of Government Polytechnics in Jammu and Kashmir.
• There are 22 Government Polytechnics, offering a much wider range of programmes, including Food Technology, Wood Technology, Garment Technology, Travel and Tourism and other skill-based and non-engineering...
• Teachers with qualifications in different disciplines have been appointed to teach these new programmes.

Details worth keeping

The recent judgment of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court regarding the eligibility of a Home Science degree for the post of Principal in a Government Polytechnic has brought the issue of educational equivalence into public discussion. The judgment has clarified the position under the existing Recruitment Rules: M.Sc, Phd in Home Science cannot be treated as equivalent to an Engineering degree for the post of Principal unless such equivalence is specifically declared by the competent authority. Naturally, the faculty structure has also changed.