Survey to know the status of PhD programme across Tamil Nadu

CHENNAI: To assess the status of the research ecosystem in the State, the Higher Education Department has decided to conduct a study on the status of PhD in Tamil Nadu focusing initially on the delays in awarding PhD degrees across 13-state universities.

The Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education (Tansche) under the Higher Education Department has been entrusted to conduct the survey, which is under the process.

A senior official from the department said that through analysis of critical data and robust needs-assessments through field surveys, the initiative aims to identify procedural inefficiencies, administrative bottlenecks and scholar grievances for the betterment of the research ecosystem in the State. A recent all-India survey on higher education conducted by the HRD Ministry shows that the University of Madras has awarded PhD degrees to around 2,800 candidates in the last five years. On an average, that's more than 500/year. But most importantly, the findings revealed that only around 10% of these scholars managed to complete the programme within the stipulated time.

“A PhD is often seen as a leap forward for high-paid employment opportunities. The survey will get feedback from students pursuing PhD to the reasons for the delay in the completion of their degrees,” said an official of the department. “The problem now is that even if students complete PhD within the time frame, they don’t get their certificates on time due to non-availability of Vice Chancellors in several State-run varsities here. This survey will help the State government to derive a detailed road map to enable the future generation to pursue PhD programmes for getting more job opportunities.”

Professor E Balagurusamy, former V-C, Anna University, stated that the quality of PhDs in the country, especially in Tamil Nadu, has reduced drastically. “This has to be improved by totally removing corrupt practices in awarding PhD degrees to students,” he added.

Welcoming the department’s move to conduct the survey, P Thirunavukkarasu, vice chairman, Association of University Teachers (AUT) said, “Out of the total students enrolled for PhD, only 20% complete. The whole PhD programme in TN is complete manipulation. PhD students are forced to bribe to get the degree. Also, most UGC funds for fellowships and scholarships have been halted. So now, students are taking another route: clearing the TN State Eligibility Test (TNSET) to become assistant professors.”