JNU students protest MPhil, PhD seat cuts, clash with cops

Due to the implementation of UGC 2016 regulation, which fixes the number of research scholars a professor can supervise, there has been massive seat cut in MPhil/PhD programmes.

Students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) staged a march outside the University Grants Commission (UGC) on Friday, against the seat cut in the varsity.

Due to the implementation of UGC 2016 regulation, which fixes the number of research scholars a professor can supervise, there has been massive seat cut in MPhil/PhD programmes.(Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

Due to the implementation of UGC 2016 regulation, which fixes the number of research scholars a professor can supervise, there has been massive seat cut in MPhil/PhD programmes.

The seats have been cut by about 86% this academic session, bringing the number of seats from 970 to 102. There are also certain political science centres, history centres, Centre for Indian Languages and several science schools where there will be no admissions this year.

According to the 2016 UGC notification, a research supervisor/co-supervisor who is a professor, cannot guide more than three MPhil and eight PhD scholars. An associate professor as research supervisor can guide up to a maximum of two MPhil and six PhD scholars and an assistant professor can guide up to a maximum of one MPhil and four PhD scholars.

According to the figures released by the university, the number of MPhil/PhD students a teacher was supervising has already exceeded the UGC cap.

On Friday, as Delhi Police tried to stop the students from marching forward, some students misbehaved with the personnel. But later, as they were allowed to march, they raised slogans outside UGC and also submitted a memorandum to the joint secretary of the body.

The memorandum stated that the imposition of rules has several detrimental effects on the “social inclusive policy of the university.”

“The May 2016 UGC notification, far from being a guideline, is in effect a straightjacket with rigid examination criteria, admission rules and the criteria for the eligibility of research supervision, which grossly compromises the autonomy of universities,” said Mohit Pandey, JNUSU president.

From the time the university has released the prospectus, students’ union have called a strike from March 22. Even on Friday, the strike continued with the JNU teachers association has also extended support to the students.