Reader TTS

In light of varying views on the importance of MPhils for PhD programmes, Professor Ghoshal evinces, “Our objective is to improve the quality of research, isn’t it? These blanket rules alone

cannot do that.” “Trying to give one formula for a vast country, and all the many different disciplines may not work,” he adds. Speaking on decreasing the years of study before a PhD in

science subjects, the Professor noted that students may not be prepared to undertake such rigorous research after four years. "There are of course geniuses, but you don’t formulate

rules for them. The general rule is to keep average students in mind and for them, I think four-year undergraduate courses, followed directly by entrance to PhD, they are not really prepared

to do a PhD," he tells THE QUINT. While Professor Ghoshal thinks this to be a step in the right direction, as he mentions the sudden emergence of pay-for-publish journals, he tells THE

QUINT, "The main point is that the system has to be robust and honest from within, only then it can make sense… It's not a question of imposing a rule that requires them to

publish a paper because the rule can always be bypassed by many different kinds of _jugaad_, which is what has happened in this case." “There is this ray of hope that universities can

conduct their own entrance exams, and I hope that teachers are empowered to decide what are the best kind of questions they want in the entrances of their respective disciplines.”  In a

notice titled The University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of PhD Degree) Regulations, 2022, the Ministry of Education has envisaged the eligibility criteria

to be such that: Further, "all Universities shall admit PhD Scholars through a National Eligibility Test (NET) or National Entrance Test or an Entrance test conducted at the level of

individual universities." In a departure from previous rules, the UGC does not mandate students to publish a paper in a reviewed journal. Rules pertaining to coursework, which is a

pre-requisite for PhD preparation are the following: * Minimum number of the credit requirement should be at least 12 credits and a maximum of 16 credits * Students who register directly

from four-year undergraduate with research will have to undertake 6-8 credit courses (at PhD level) about relevant skills/research techniques/domain-specific subjects offered by the

University * Candidates already holding MPhil degree and admitted to the PhD programme, or those who have already completed the course work in MPhil and have been permitted to proceed to the

PhD in an integrated course, may be exempted by the Department from the PhD coursework * A PhD scholar has to obtain a minimum of 55% of marks or its equivalent grade in the UGC 10-point

scale (or an equivalent grade/CGPA in a point scale wherever grading system is followed) in the course work in order to be eligible to continue in the programme and submit the thesis