UGC makes over 400 PhD aspirants ineligible

PhD through distance education or through universities in other states deemed invalid

A recent circular from the UGC will make nearly 400-500 aspirants pursuing PhD from the University of Mumbai ineligible as 10-15 per cent of the guides are neither working as teachers in any of the university departments nor any affiliated PG college. Based on the circular, no state university can offer PhD beyond their jurisdiction thus making those aspirants ineligible who are doing PhD through distance education mode or through universities in other states.

The circular issued by Jaspal Sandhu, secretary, UGC, stated that it had come to the notice of the governing body that many universities in the country have been circumventing the provisions of Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of MPhil/PhD regulations of 2009 by utilising the services of adjunct faculty as supervisors. The circular reiterates that only regular faculty can be appointed as research supervisors and aberrations by the university the UGC Act of 1956 will be invoked against them and the university will be blacklisted.

Due to the high demand for MPhil and PhD courses for various subjects and topics the MU has been appointing research supervisors or guides from other universities that include both within and outside the state. This phenomenon is prevalent in almost all streams including Arts, Science, Commerce, Law and Technology. According to a senior academician, nearly 10 to 15 per cent of guides appointed by the university across streams are not regular teachers in university departments or any of the affiliated colleges offering post-graduate courses. As a result of this nearly 400-500 students doing research under them would become ineligible.

Further analysing the UGC circular, the academician said that outstation universities offering PhD courses in the city would also become ineligible. “The joint director of education office has deemed that the PhD done from some of the universities from other states is invalid and hence those who did their PhDs there are now having to redo it from local universities,” said the academician. This circular by the UGC is the second circular issued by the UGC with the first one being issued on July 6.

In the absence of the vice-chancellor of MU Dr Sanjay Deshmukh who is away in Israel, Dr Abhay Pethe care-taker vice-chancellor said that the university would ask UGC for clarfication regarding the circular and its implications. “It is an important issue and a collective decision to apply the norms of the UGC need to be thought of,” said Dr Pethe.

Source | Asian Age | 11 September 2015