Taking a stride toward inclusivity, Lucknow University will be providing maternity leave to female research scholars and education students, starting from the academic session 2023-24. These will include students pursuing UG and PG in Education. A research scholar will be eligible for maternity leave once during the entire research tenure.

The maternity leave will align with UGC and NCTE rules for Ph.D and B.Ed/M.Ed candidates, respectively. “We have adopted UGC maternity leave rules for Ph.D scholars while National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) maternity leave rules have been adopted for B.Ed, and M.Ed female students,” LU spokesperson Durgesh Srivastava stated.

The decision has also been taken keeping in mind cases of relocation, due to marriage of a female PhD scholar. In such a scenario, the scholar's research data could get transferred to the new university where the scholar is relocating, provided all conditions extended are met. Credit will have to be given to the parent guide and university for the research previously done.

The move aims to ensure that students’ careers are not disrupted by life events such as maternity or relocation, in turn, safeguarding their academic pursuits. The proposal for the same was recently approved in the university’s executive council.