Tag: PHD

  • ‘Paucity of faculty with PhDs in higher education’

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: India’s top 100 institutions have the most doctoral faculty, with top management schools having the maximum number of PhD teachers, according to the data from the just-released National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). But even among these best institutes, the proportion of high-qualified faculty is skewed.

    While the management institutes in India have the highest number of faculty with doctoral degrees at 91.60 per cent, their proportion is only 61 per cent in other colleges. As per NIRF, which ranks higher education institutions in India, it was observed that faculty with doctoral qualifications is concentrated in the top 100 institutions; the remaining institutions have fewer faculty with postgraduate degrees. “This is a serious handicap since mentorship received during the doctoral training can play a vital role in preparing the faculty for a teaching career in higher education,” said the NIRF document.

    University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof M. Jagadesh Kumar said that “institutions in the top 100 bracket in NIRF are strong in promoting research. That is why almost all the faculty members are doctorates in these institutions.” He said, on the other hand, that only those colleges with master’s programmes and research culture will have doctorates as faculty members. 

    “It is, therefore, not surprising that only 61 per cent of colleges have faculty that have doctoral degrees, and the top 100 institutions have the highest number of faculty with doctoral degrees,” he told this paper. Also, in some areas, such as commerce, law, architecture, and foreign languages, fewer people pursue a PhD. There will be fewer faculty members with a PhD in colleges offering these programmes, he explained. One of the parameters on which 100 institutes were ranked best by NIRF is teaching, learning and resources. The other parameters are research and professional practice, graduation outcome, outreach, and inclusivity and perception.

    As per data, of the top 100 institutes that were rated best for ‘engineering,’ 81.20 per cent had faculty with PhDs, as compared to just 34.94 of the remaining engineering institutes that had registered themselves for the prestigious ranking.

    In the same way, in the ‘overall’ category, the 100 institutions that were judged the best, nearly 78 per cent had faculty with doctoral degrees compared to only 51.36 per cent in the remaining institutions. 

    Among the 100 best ‘universities,’ 73.60 per cent had faculty with PhDs, compared to 64.29 per cent in the rest which registered. The 100 top management institutes had the maximum number of PhDs at 91.60 per cent. This was in stark contrast to other management institutes, which had only 57.37 per cent of faculty with doctoral degrees. The pharmacy was one category that saw less number of PhD holders. While in the 100 best pharmacy institutes, the figure stood at 70.82 per cent, compared to a mere 33.27 per cent in the remaining institutes.

    Similarly, in the NIRF-ranked 100 colleges, the faculty with Ph.D degrees stood at 61.06 per cent, compared to 44.63 per cent in the remaining institutes. Moreover, the average number of faculty in the top 100 institutions varies from a minimum of 34 and 46 in the case of ‘pharmacy’ and ‘management’ to a maximum of 685 and 645 in the case of ‘universities’ and ‘overall’ categories, respectively.

    NEW DELHI: India’s top 100 institutions have the most doctoral faculty, with top management schools having the maximum number of PhD teachers, according to the data from the just-released National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). But even among these best institutes, the proportion of high-qualified faculty is skewed.

    While the management institutes in India have the highest number of faculty with doctoral degrees at 91.60 per cent, their proportion is only 61 per cent in other colleges. As per NIRF, which ranks higher education institutions in India, it was observed that faculty with doctoral qualifications is concentrated in the top 100 institutions; the remaining institutions have fewer faculty with postgraduate degrees. “This is a serious handicap since mentorship received during the doctoral training can play a vital role in preparing the faculty for a teaching career in higher education,” said the NIRF document.

    University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof M. Jagadesh Kumar said that “institutions in the top 100 bracket in NIRF are strong in promoting research. That is why almost all the faculty members are doctorates in these institutions.” He said, on the other hand, that only those colleges with master’s programmes and research culture will have doctorates as faculty members. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “It is, therefore, not surprising that only 61 per cent of colleges have faculty that have doctoral degrees, and the top 100 institutions have the highest number of faculty with doctoral degrees,” he told this paper. Also, in some areas, such as commerce, law, architecture, and foreign languages, fewer people pursue a PhD. There will be fewer faculty members with a PhD in colleges offering these programmes, he explained. One of the parameters on which 100 institutes were ranked best by NIRF is teaching, learning and resources. The other parameters are research and professional practice, graduation outcome, outreach, and inclusivity and perception.

    As per data, of the top 100 institutes that were rated best for ‘engineering,’ 81.20 per cent had faculty with PhDs, as compared to just 34.94 of the remaining engineering institutes that had registered themselves for the prestigious ranking.

    In the same way, in the ‘overall’ category, the 100 institutions that were judged the best, nearly 78 per cent had faculty with doctoral degrees compared to only 51.36 per cent in the remaining institutions. 

    Among the 100 best ‘universities,’ 73.60 per cent had faculty with PhDs, compared to 64.29 per cent in the rest which registered. The 100 top management institutes had the maximum number of PhDs at 91.60 per cent. This was in stark contrast to other management institutes, which had only 57.37 per cent of faculty with doctoral degrees. The pharmacy was one category that saw less number of PhD holders. While in the 100 best pharmacy institutes, the figure stood at 70.82 per cent, compared to a mere 33.27 per cent in the remaining institutes.

    Similarly, in the NIRF-ranked 100 colleges, the faculty with Ph.D degrees stood at 61.06 per cent, compared to 44.63 per cent in the remaining institutes. Moreover, the average number of faculty in the top 100 institutions varies from a minimum of 34 and 46 in the case of ‘pharmacy’ and ‘management’ to a maximum of 685 and 645 in the case of ‘universities’ and ‘overall’ categories, respectively.

  • UGC asks VCs, principals to roll out revised PhD regulations

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Tuesday asked vice-chancellors and college principals to initiate necessary steps to implement the revised minimum standard and procedure for the award of PhD.

    In the letter to higher educational institutions (HEIs), the UGC said that the new regulations are framed “to encourage research scholars to become well-trained researchers and inquisitive explorers.”

    “All HEIs are requested to initiate necessary steps to implement the new regulations for the award of PhD,” the letter said.

    The UGC replaced its rules notified in 2016 and brought the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of PhD Degree) Regulations, 2022. The revised guidelines have changed the eligibility, admission and evaluation process. It has also done away with the mandatory requirement of publishing research papers in refereed journals.

    The UGC notified the new regulations on November 7. As per the new regulations, students who have completed a four-year undergraduate course will also be eligible for direct admission to a doctorate programme.

    The new rule said a candidate should have a minimum of 75 per cent marks in “aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale wherever the grading system is followed”, and in case the candidate does not have 75 per cent marks in a four-year undergraduate program, they have to pursue a one-year master’s programme and score at least 55 per cent.

    PhD regulations of 2016 said that PhD scholars “must publish at least one (1) research paper in a refereed journal and make two paper presentations in conferences/seminars before the submission of the dissertation/thesis for adjudication.”

    UGC Chairperson Professor M Jagadesh Kumar said that publishing research papers in peer-reviewed journals might not be mandatory anymore, but it does not mean PhD scholars should stop doing that altogether.

    “Focussing on high-quality research will lead to publications in good journals, even if it is not mandatory. It will add value when they apply for employment or post-doctoral opportunities,” he said.

    The regulations are applicable with immediate effect from the date of notification. Any PhD registered after 1 July 2009 shall be governed by the rules of 2009 or 2016, the notification said.

    NEW DELHI: The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Tuesday asked vice-chancellors and college principals to initiate necessary steps to implement the revised minimum standard and procedure for the award of PhD.

    In the letter to higher educational institutions (HEIs), the UGC said that the new regulations are framed “to encourage research scholars to become well-trained researchers and inquisitive explorers.”

    “All HEIs are requested to initiate necessary steps to implement the new regulations for the award of PhD,” the letter said.

    The UGC replaced its rules notified in 2016 and brought the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of PhD Degree) Regulations, 2022. The revised guidelines have changed the eligibility, admission and evaluation process. It has also done away with the mandatory requirement of publishing research papers in refereed journals.

    The UGC notified the new regulations on November 7. As per the new regulations, students who have completed a four-year undergraduate course will also be eligible for direct admission to a doctorate programme.

    The new rule said a candidate should have a minimum of 75 per cent marks in “aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale wherever the grading system is followed”, and in case the candidate does not have 75 per cent marks in a four-year undergraduate program, they have to pursue a one-year master’s programme and score at least 55 per cent.

    PhD regulations of 2016 said that PhD scholars “must publish at least one (1) research paper in a refereed journal and make two paper presentations in conferences/seminars before the submission of the dissertation/thesis for adjudication.”

    UGC Chairperson Professor M Jagadesh Kumar said that publishing research papers in peer-reviewed journals might not be mandatory anymore, but it does not mean PhD scholars should stop doing that altogether.

    “Focussing on high-quality research will lead to publications in good journals, even if it is not mandatory. It will add value when they apply for employment or post-doctoral opportunities,” he said.

    The regulations are applicable with immediate effect from the date of notification. Any PhD registered after 1 July 2009 shall be governed by the rules of 2009 or 2016, the notification said.

  • PhD for Assistant Professor’s job may go for good as Centre takes u-turn on the matter

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  After deferring the implementation of PhD as minimum qualification for the appointment of university teachers for two years, the higher education regulator is now considering to junk the proposal completely.

    The possible U-turn comes amid emerging understanding that making it mandatory may further dilute the quality of the research degree in India.

    In August, the University Grants Commission had put on hold the implementation of guidelines released three years ago, which proposed making PhD mandatory for hiring assistant professors.

    The guidelines, “Minimum qualifications for Appointments of Teachers in universities and colleges and measures for maintenance of standards in higher education,” proposed by the UGC in 2018 were set to be notified from the current academic session but have been deferred in the view of Covid.

    Sources said the proposal could now be dropped for good as policy makers feel it could spur instances of fake PhD and PhDs for sale by many institutions.

    Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan had last week said in Allahabad that making PhD mandatory for the post of assistant professor is “not favourable” in the current education system. 

    UGC officials who did not want to be named said the new thinking is that pushing candidates to pursue PhD to  get a teaching job may end up making the degree a “compliance tool” rather than ushering in reforms.

    In 2019, a four-member committee tasked with recommending ways to improve the quality and standard of research, while proposing sweeping changes, had also hinted that PhD as a minimum qualification for assistant professors may not be a good idea.

    The recommendations of the panel headed by former Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, director P Balram, however, are yet to be officially accepted.

  • Proposal making PhD must for fresh university teachers put off citing COVID-19 pandemic

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  The higher education regulator has decided to push back implementation of the guidelines released three years ago, which proposed making PhD mandatory for fresh university teachers in the rank of assistant professors. 

    The “Minimum qualifications for appointments of teachers in universities and colleges and measures for maintenance of standards in higher education” proposed by the University Grants Commission were set to be notified from the current academic session. But this has been deferred in the view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    UGC officials said that they have been receiving representations for several months against the implementation of the norms that said master’s degree, with National Eligibility Test, will not be the minimum eligibility requirement for direct recruitment to the posts of assistant professors in colleges.

    As of now, for direct recruitment in universities, PhD is not mandatory and one can get recruited in several universities after a master’s degree and clearing the National Eligibility Test. 

    “To improve the quality of teachers and education and to give a thrust on research culture, the proposed norms are crucial but there is an uncertainty on when we can notify them,” said an UGC official. “Considering the circumstances, it looks like we will have to defer it for a year or two though the matter is under discussion at the Commission,” he added.

    The norms, prepared in consultation with the Union education ministry, said that to encourage the return of the best of brains who made a mark in foreign universities, a special provision for recruitment of assistant professors in various universities and colleges for PhD degree holders from a university or institution in the top 500 global ranking will be made.

    Also, it proposed that teachers will also undergo a mandatory, month-long induction programme before starting work and devote two hours for mentoring of students for community development/extracurricular activities.

    In the guidelines, the government had also done away with the controversial academic performance indicator based appraisal and introduced a simplified teacher evaluation grading system. It has added academic or research scores for universities to improve research output.

  • HC asks JNU to respond to plea by activist Natasha Narwal for permission to provisionally register for PhD third semester

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Tuesday sought JNU’s reply on a plea by its student and Pinjra Tod activist Natasha Narwal, an accused in cases related to last year’s north-east Delhi violence, seeking permission to provisionally register in the third semester of the PhD programme.

    Justice Prateek Jalan issued notice to the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on the plea.

    In her plea, Narwal has also sought direction to the varsity to provide login ID and credentials for completing the provisional registration process.

    She has also sought direction to facilitate access to her PhD supervisors through video conferencing for the purpose of completion/ participation in her PhD course.

    In her plea filed through advocates Adit Pujari and Kunal Negi, Narwal has sought permission to access monetary scholarship/ fellowship as is her entitlement as a PhD student of the university.

    Narwal, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail since last year, was named as an accused by the Delhi Police in three FIRs registered in connection with the protest during the violence in north-east Delhi in 2020.

    She was arrested on May 23 last year in connection with a case related to anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protests in Jafrabad of north-east Delhi but was granted a bail thereafter.

    However, soon after getting bail, she was re-arrested by police on May 24, 2020 in another case and is in judicial custody.

    She was also arrested in a third case related to her role in north-east Delhi violence matter.

    Communal clashes had broken out in north-east Delhi on February 24, 2020 after violence between citizenship law supporters and protesters spiralled out of control leaving at least 53 people dead and around 200 injured.