JOIN USNow, private guides for VTU doctorate
Visveswaraya Technological University (VTU) has come up with an innovative solution to meet the shortage of PhD guides. The varsity will hire PhD holders serving in private and public sector units as guides for doctoral aspirants.
Shortage of guides has stymied the doctoral aspirations of many a candidate. Under the prevailing guidelines, a professor or an assistant professor of any university with a PhD can guide a maximum of five students in their doctoral studies.
The guide cannot take any other candidate under his or her tutelage until all the five complete their studies. Or as an alternative, the guide can accommodate a candidate if one of his or her students passes out.
Four years of wait
Anyway, it requires four long years for a guide to accommodate a new student. Presently, no other person/s other than the professors or assistant professors with a PhD is allowed to guide students.
According to Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, as many as 1,000 more universities will come up in the country by 2020, thus providing doctoral study opportunity to at least 25,000 candidates.
The rule which bars private individuals with a PhD from guiding doctoral aspirants has become a handicap for aspirants, and the VTU has taken the first step to bridge the gap by allowing even a non-academic person with a PhD to guide doctoral students.
The varsity has amended relevant rules allowing PhD graduates serving in government and private organisations to guide doctoral students.
Registration
PhD graduates working in private and government organisations will have to register themselves with the varsity.
A committee of the varsity will screen the names and finalise the list of eligible guides. A student registered for doctorate programme can get the details of the guides available in the website of the varsity.
After initial formalities, the student can interact with the guide and the process would be taken forward subject to mutual consent.
Promote research
“In the last ten years, only 120 students have secured doctorates from the VTU. The primary objective of the initiative, a first of its kind in the country, is to promote research and facilitate students nursing doctoral ambitions. More than 500 people with PhDs working in diversie fields have evinced interest to guide students,” Dr H Maheshappa, Vice Chancellor, VTU, told Deccan Herald.
The VC said if all the 500 PhDs guide five candidates each, as many as 2,500 doctoral aspirants can realise their dreams.
Furthermore, the guides too stand a chance of increasing their profile and enriching their knowledge, he added.
Maheshappa said several talented people with PhD work in public sector units such as BHEL and DRDO and their talent should be tapped for academic progress. “We can create a bank of guides through this system,” he said.
More information can be had on phone number 0831-2498136