The University Grants Commission (UGC) has recently revoked the mandatory requirement of publishing research papers in quality journals to obtain a Ph.D. The move touted as a push to increase the number of Ph.D. holders will impact research quality negatively, claim the student union. This coupled with no requirement of MPhil, direct entry to doctorate after graduation, etc is expected to hamper the future of PhD.
All India OBC Students Association (AIOBCSA) in an official statement said, “When the entire academic world is thriving for quality publications in reputed journals, any efforts to undermine publishing quality publications will only hamper the future of Ph.D. holders”.
The MPhil scholars were required to present at least one research paper at a conference or seminar. On the other hand, PhD scholars had to present two research papers at conferences or seminars and publish at least one paper in a refereed journal prior to submitting their thesis. However, in the new regulations for the doctoral programme released on November 7, the commission has removed this requirement.
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That this move will not give any relief to students of marginalized communities, AIOBCSA said adding, there are two marks for each quality publication (up to five publications) for applying for an assistant professor job. Though it is not mandatory, many universities are shortlisting candidates based on higher scores.
“Break all barriers by our continuous efforts and hard work to produce quality research. We must demand the Government of India provide more financial assistance and demand to build proper safeguards for bringing inclusiveness in all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The Government of India must also send a greater number of SC, ST and OBC PhD aspirants to best Universities across the country by providing scholarships and fellowships,” the statement added.
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