PhD guideship likely for govt degree college faculty

The proposal, however, has drawn flak from senior academicians as well as scholars

Warangal: Officials at the Commissionerate of Collegiate Education (CCE) are reportedly trying to impress upon the management of State-run universities to designate eligible Assistant Professors working with Government Degree Colleges in the State as guides/supervisors for research scholars (Ph.D/M.Phil).

The Executive Council (EC) of the Kakatiya University (KU), at its 135th meeting on August 18 this year, resolved to appoint Assistant Professors of degree colleges under its jurisdiction as guides for research scholars.

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Speaking to ‘Telangana Today,’ an EC member, on condition of anonymity, said the Commissioner, Collegiate Education, Navin Mittal, was in favour of providing supervisorship to faculty members of government degree colleges in compliance with the rules of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

“During the KU EC committee meeting, Mittal stressed the need to designate degree college staff as guides as it would also be beneficial to colleges in getting good ranks given by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC),” he said.

The proposal, however, has drawn flak from senior academicians as well as scholars. “It is not at all a good idea to give supervisorship to degree college lecturers due to different reasons. First of all, many colleges lack the required lab facilities. Secondly, the staff working in the colleges are transferable after three years, and thirdly, they do not have proper orientation about PhD supervision,” former SDLCE Director and Prof Ch Dinesh Kumar said.

A senior research scholar, who is also a PDF fellow, Dr Suresh Devath said that giving PhD guideship to degree college assistant professors would give scope for ‘irregularities.’ He said there were allegations against supervisors even in the campus and other colleges in the past.

Dr Devender Bhukya, a faculty member in the Department of Education, Kakatiya University, also opposed the EC’s decision to offer guideship to degree college faculty. “Since the teaching faculty members in degree colleges are generally burdened with the regular classes, I am afraid they won’t have the time to the scholars. Moreover, the outlook and approach of university teachers and degree college faculty members are different. It is not advisable to offer guideship to degree college faculty members,” he added.

Meanwhile, a former administrator of the Kakatiya University, who held a key position until recently, said that passing a resolution at the Executive Council (EC) about offering guideship to the degree college lecturers for the research scholars indeed the wrong decision.

“Since it is a matter of academics, it would have been discussed at the Standing Committee and endorsed at the Senate of the varsity,” he said and added that the proposal to give guideship to the degree college assistant professors was indeed placed before the then Vice-Chancellor Prof R Sayanna, but it was turned down by him as it would be detrimental to the interests of the autonomy of the varsity.

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