The Bharathiar University Syndicate taking up for consideration the demand to remove the difference between Category B Ph.D. and regular Doctor of Philosophy programme and deciding to refer the matter to the Governor-Chancellor has irked the academic community.
Category B Ph.D. is a research programme, which according to critics, allows a student sitting anywhere in the globe to approach a guide, even those outside the University's jurisdiction, to guide his research for the Doctor of Philosophy degree. This is nothing but Ph.D. through distance education and opens the door for corruption.
Sources said the Syndicate in recent meeting a few days ago considered awarding the Category B Ph.D. degree by removing the ‘Category B Ph.D.’ specification in the certificate so as to remove the difference between the degree holders and full-time and part-time Ph.D. degree holders.
But after objections from a few members, the Syndicate decided to refer the matter to the Governor-Chancellor.
Academics on the condition of anonymity said as per the University Grants Commission regulation, a university could offer Doctor of Philosophy degree either full-time or part-time and these came with stipulations, one of which was that the faculty registered as guide could not mentor more than eight research scholars at a time.
And the guide should be a faculty in either the university concerned or any of its affiliated colleges.
But under the Category B programme it was impossible for the Bharathiar University to monitor how many research scholars the registered guides mentored.
There had been an instance where a research scholar from Dubai had a guide in Bengaluru for a Ph.D. in Bharathiar University, the academics said.
C. Pichandy, a retired professor, said the Category B Ph.D. was per se illegal because the UGC recognised only full-time or part-time Ph.D. programme. As the Category B fell under neither of these, the UGC had not recognised the programme.
Besides, the UGC had mandated that the nature of the degree should be mentioned in degree certificates – regular mode or distance mode. If the Bharathiar University were to remove the distinction for Category B Ph.D. degree holders it would bringing them on a par with those who had worked hard for three to four years to get regular Ph.D.
The academics also said that with a few cases in this regard pending before the Madras High Court, it was unnecessary for the Syndicate to have deliberated on the issue that was subjudice and also dragged the Governor-Chancellor.
The University Vice-Chancellor P. Kaliraj could not be reached for his comments.
Mr. Pichandy said the timing of the Syndicate deliberating on the issue was suspect because the Teachers’ Recruitment Board was to call for applications to fill vacant teaching positions in colleges and if Category B Ph.D. was not mentioned in degree certificates it would lead to a situation where even those candidates could apply and get selected for teaching positions.
