Dear All,
It appears we link (paper) degrees with jobs with no regards to value addition of such degrees to quality education. I remember some Universities like Shivaji, Kolhapur strictly followed in mid-1980s professors must have Ph D and not approved the candidates with PG qualifications though recommended by the University Selection Committee. AICTE and statutes of many universities (based on 1994 Act) prescribe Ph D for professors and for Principal, PhD with 7 years experience as Professor.
I also remember that one of the prestigious universities in Maharashtra in mid-1990s selected MEs as Principals when PhDs from IITs with internationally proven academic achievement were available.
What is the ground reality? Many PhDs from universities and a few from IITs are found to be maneuvering. Believe in me one of the Management Gurus turned over 200 PhDs in Management in one prestigious university and one IIT turned a high official having ME (Civil Egg) degree into PhD in Humanities, the work at the most be comparable with a UG project, one faculty of about 50 yrs old with BE, DBM and MMS out-turned 3 PhDs in manufacturing from a university located far away from industry belt sometimes in 2000 AD. Get PhD under some higher/lobbying pressure, next day become Principal, and squeeze management for RS 1.5 L pm, the trend I have observed in the recent years. For management, AICTE prescribes PhD in Management or FPM from IIMs like PhD in engineering for the post of Principal/Director in egg institute, I know one Principal of egg college with ME (Civil) but PhD in Quality Education from university, one management council member got PhD exactly in two years with an outside university area guide of 74 yrs old, Director of one institute and then VC literally begged PhD from one IIT, etc. Will somebody tell me how many PhDs in Pure/Vedic Mathematics India has turned through Universities, IITs, IIMs or NITs after independence? These are not the stray examples, but ground reality what is happening on the academic shop floor.
The big question is: Whether Recruitment Rules are strictly adhered to or not? And there are now open universities offering PhDs and NITIE offering Fellow. The very purpose of specifying PhD at the Associate Professor and higher level is that the faculty must contribute (value addition) to the area of specialization through continuing R & D. Just think over how many PhDs are alive in their field. Is it logical that Asst Professor with ME/MTech be given Associate Professor’s scale when they do not possess PhDs? How far are we going to compromise?
I sincerely feel that we should turn to the real issue. With such a large pool of Scientific, Technical and Management man power, India could not turn even a single noble laureate whereas during British Regime we turned two noble laureates.
Let us focus on the real issue: Quality education through quality faculty for the quality of student can be at the most at par with the quality of his/her teacher. We have faculty paucity as good as 20-30%; some used the RR loopholes in the past and some today. Otherwise we are not much different.
With love.
Yours,
Dr. P H Waghodekar
4th Feb 2011
