“The issue with guides is not new, for the past decade it has been the same. Plus with the new regulation, whereby one guide can take up only four students, the lack of guides is being felt more,” said Suraj Misra (name changed on request), a third-year PhD student in Political Science.
While few others have managed to find their guides based on informal acquaintances with the faculty, many complained that the lack of guides could jeopardise their chances of being selected.
Students from more than 70 disciplines ranging from Science and Technology, Engineering, Commerce, Humanities and Arts, Social Sciences, Law and Education, Pharmacy to Business and Management, had applied for the PhD programme at the varsity. The entrance examination for the programme was conducted on October 29. As per the notification released by SPPU, candidates who have qualified in the UGC National Eligibility Test (NET), passed the M Phil programme under the varsity or have teacher fellowships, are exempted from the entrance test for the PhD programme.
Including them, and those who passed the examination, over 100 students are awaiting the interview, most without a guide.
The interview is to be conducted in December, although the date has not been finalised. Many candidates irked by the situation complained about the added burden. Sudha Desai (name changed on request), a PhD applicant in Biotechnology, rued, “As per the rules, we need to have our guides finalised before our interviews, but that is pending because of the lacunae. On one hand, we have to be ready with our research topics and prepare for the interview, and on the other hand, we also need to run after the guides. I am worried that this could reduce my chances of getting selected, despite all the effort.”
{{/usCountry}}The interview is to be conducted in December, although the date has not been finalised. Many candidates irked by the situation complained about the added burden. Sudha Desai (name changed on request), a PhD applicant in Biotechnology, rued, “As per the rules, we need to have our guides finalised before our interviews, but that is pending because of the lacunae. On one hand, we have to be ready with our research topics and prepare for the interview, and on the other hand, we also need to run after the guides. I am worried that this could reduce my chances of getting selected, despite all the effort.”
{{/usCountry}}“Many applicants, who personally know the professors, have already informed and booked them, which is creating an issue for us,” added Sanjukta Dalvi (name changed on request), who is applying for a PhD in Economics.
When approached to address the issue, SPPU vice-chancellor, Dr Nitin Karmalkar stated, “The students don’t need to worry about the guides. We are about to appoint new guides which will solve the issue. Further, as many of the PhD students are about to pass out, vacancies will be formed under their guides.”