Ghazanfar Abbas, IndiaTomorrow.net,
New Delhi, March 27: The University Grants Commission (UGC) notification regulating admission procedure for research programs (M.Phil./Ph.D.) at central universities is not just curtailing the autonomy of these educational institutions but will also affect the present social diversity there, say eminent academicians in exclusive interviews to IndiaTomorrow.net.
“In every state and part of the country, universities have their own acts. They have to work according to those acts. So any suggestion that this 100 per cent viva voce norm is followed at all universities is incorrect. To say that they have to respect the UGC guidelines means inflexibility…that is straightforward violation of autonomy,” said Prof. Ayesha Kidwai, Centre for Linguistics, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
She also criticized the cut in the number of seats for research programs.
“The people of India were promised that central universities would be a place where they could study, research, ask questions and think freely. The aim of this UGC regulation seems to be to restrict research, not to encourage it. So we must see this regulation as the beginning of a particular kind of attack using an act of parliament to finish off other acts,” said Prof. Kidwai.
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The enrolment of Ph.D. students in the country, as per MHRD Report 2014, is just 0.5% of the total enrolments. In central universities, the enrolment of Ph.D. students is 3.5%. But at JNU, it is 67%.
“You (Govt) say that you want to increase the gross enrolment ratio to 30% which is right now 22%. You want to increase the enrolment to 30% and you are cutting it down. At JNU, we are feeling the impact the most because our admissions will go down,” she said.
The UGC notification of May 2016 has not just limited the number of research scholars under each professor and assistant professor but it has given 100% weightage to viva voce for admission in M.Phil./Ph.D. programs while written test will be mere qualifying.
Asst. Prof. Sachin N. Narayanan of Delhi University says the UGC regulation will affect accommodation of diversities at the universities.
“We have seen people of a certain gender, caste and social character always getting relegated and having almost no access to universities. We have to understand that higher education is still very difficult and a matter of privilege in this country. It’s not a matter of right. Even when you have the requisite percentage, very few people reach higher education for various reasons. What they (UGC) are trying to introduce is ‘one for all’ kind of system which, I feel, will be very regressive in its effect in terms of accommodating diversities that are part of our society,” said Prof. Narayanan.
“It is actually a certain kind of centralization that they are pushing forward and in this centralization, they are not ready to address a question of egality – there won’t be uniform fee structure, so who is benefitted from the limited number of seats in public-funded education institutions – the private place. What is advisable in educational institution is to have a certain kind of academic freedom or academic autonomy. The current UGC policy is not at all accommodative of social justice problem that we are facing and I believe we need to challenge and rectify that,” he said.
Asst Prof. Rahul Ramagundam of Jamia Millia Islamia says that the new measure will affect the already discriminated sections of society.
“I think students who don’t speak proper English or who come from the underprivileged backgrounds will certainly be discriminated against because the teachers somehow are still from the privileged communities in our country. These people will be choosing only those coming from the privileged backgrounds, so there will be kind of problem with the non-privileged students coming from non-privileged areas, castes or communities and class,” said Prof. Ramagundam.
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“Now when the interviews will be held and the number of seats are very limited then of course people who can speak better English, who come from metropolitan cities and who have come from better colleges like St Stephen’s, will naturally be given some kind of weightage in the interviews because of the social capital they have,” he said.
“I feel such kind of measure will affect the already discriminated sections.”
