3 minutes of readingBombayUpdated: February 11, 2026 10:40 pm IST
The faculty recruitment process in public universities in Maharashtra will now include a separate component to assess the teaching skills of candidates, marking a shift from the previous selection process that was primarily based on academic and research credentials along with teaching experience. From now on, teaching experience acquired as a clock-hour teacher, as well as through ad hoc or contractual appointments, will be considered valid.
The state government has announced a revised set of parameters for recruitment of lecturers in public non-agricultural universities, four months after it first introduced a new framework in October 2025 to improve transparency. The changes are expected to revive the stalled hiring process for around 650 teaching positions at public universities.
The Department of Higher and Technical Education on Wednesday issued a Government Resolution detailing the revised methodology. While the merit-based selection process introduced in October 2025 will continue, the bifurcation of weightage assigned to different parameters has been reviewed once again. The clause prescribing a minimum merit score for candidates shortlisted for interviews has been removed and universities have been given the freedom to decide the number of eligible candidates to be called for the interview round.
As per the earlier revised framework notified through a Government Resolution dated October 6, 2026, academic credentials in teaching and research carried 75 per cent weightage, while performance in interviews accounted for the remaining 25 per cent. Candidates who scored more than 50 points in academic teaching and research credentials were eligible to be shortlisted for interviews.
Following the latest revision, academic and research credentials will now have a 60 percent weighting. The remaining 40 percent will be divided equally between evaluation of teaching skills and interview performance. Universities can now decide the number of candidates who will be called for interviews, a move that is expected to ensure a larger pool of candidates shortlisted for final selection.
The weighting assigned to the interview component remains relatively low, a key demand raised by teacher candidates who had expressed concerns that a higher weighting of the interview could result in unfair preferential treatment. Additionally, interviews will be video recorded to ensure transparency.
According to officials, the introduction of a separate 20 per cent weightage to assess teaching skills is expected to help identify more suitable candidates for the teaching profession. The revised framework also modifies the criteria for acceptable research publishing platforms, making them more inclusive, particularly for humanities candidates.
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Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil said, “To ensure that the entire process of recruitment of teachers in public universities is transparent, the list of marks awarded to candidates, along with their individual scores, will be published on the websites of the respective universities.”
Some teachers have questioned the removal of the fixed merit clause for shortlisting interviews, arguing that it ensured uniformity in the process. Responding to these concerns, Higher Education Director Dr Shailendra Deolankar said the revised framework makes the faculty recruitment process more transparent. “The 60 20 20 formula will give balanced importance to research, academic quality, teaching skills and interview performance,” he said.
