PATNA, July 4 -- Having missed the deadline, the Bihar State University Service Commission (BSUSC) on Friday issued the notification for appointment of 3,687 assistant professors in six subjects in different state universities, including 211 new degree colleges initially for a session. In a race against time, it plans to complete the process for start of the new colleges by the end of August first week. This appointment are on purely contractual basis and shall be valid till the regular/backlog appointment of assistant professors happens. The initial engagement shall remain valid for one session only and fresh engagements for the subsequent term shall be made after next session each year and shall be subject to screening, recommendation, performance assessment, and the requirement of the university as determined by the competent authority. "The continuation in service shall not be automatic, and each engagement for a subsequent term shall be considered afresh in accordance with the provisions," the notification clearly states, adding the monthly remuneration for them will be equivalent to the minimum monthly gross salary (Basic + DA only) of a regularly appointed assistant professor at the entry level. The applications for six subjects (English, Hindi, Economics, History, Sociology and Political Science) have been invited exclusively through the higher education department's SAMARTH Recruitment Portal (https://hedbiharrec.samarth.edu.in/index.php/site/index). The online application portal will remain open until July 15 2026. After screening, the interviews are tentatively scheduled from July 20-27 and the merit list will be released on July 29. The move is to complete the joining by August 7 so that the new colleges could start academic activity. The notification clearly states that there will be no change in preference/choice of colleges. The minimum age for appointment to the post of assistant professor shall be 21 years and the maximum age shall not be more than 43 years as on August 1, 2026. Age relaxation to the candidates belonging to reserved categories will be provided in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Government of Bihar. The Chancellor's Secretariat had got prepared a statute for engagement of fixed-term faculty in six subjects in the 211 new degree colleges in uncovered blocks to complete the process quickly due to shortage of time and huge shortage of hands due to unending controversies and excruciating delay in the appointment of regular faculty by the commission. Dipak Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary to the Governor, said that the objective of the draft statute is to provide a transparent, merit-based and time-bound mechanism for engagement of qualified faculty members on a fixed-term basis in the shortest possible time against sanctioned vacancies in the universities and colleges until such vacancies are filled through regular appointments. For contractual appointments, a maximum of 12 marks would allotted for Interview - maximum 6 Marks on teaching skills to be tested by the interview board on spot and video recorded, while a maximum 6 marks on interaction with the interview board. This is a shift from the controversy-ridden past recruitment to usher in greater transparency. The eligibility criteria includes National Eligibility Test (NET) for Assistant Professor conducted by the UGC/CSIR or any other test accredited by the UGC. Those awarded a PhD degree in accordance with the provisions of the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of PhD degree) Regulations, 2009 or 2016, shall be entitled to exemption from NET in terms of the UG Regulations and amendments issued from time to time, subject to the rider that PhD has been awarded in a regular mode and in accordance with the UGC norms. The candidates registered for the PhD programme prior to implementation of UGC Regulation 2009, shall be governed by the provisions of the then existing Ordinances/Bye-laws/Regulations. The fulfilment of these conditions is to be certified by the Registrar or the Dean (Academic Affairs/Concerned Faculty of the University concerned. Besides, the marking pattern has been clearly laid down for academic achievements right from matriculation level to post-graduation and UGC NET-CSIR to avoid controversies or fudging. The merit list will be prepared on the basis of combined score in interview and academics. Prof Shankar Dutt, retired professor of English at Patna University, however, said he was at a loss how ad hoc arrangement would provide stability and quality in higher education. "I really don't know how to respond to such arrangement, as even the past ones did not evoke much confidence. All we can do is to keep fingers crossed. Higher education is too serious a business to be dealt through interim measures. I hope highly qualified candidates feel tempted to apply," he added....