Bhubaneswar: Here is good news for research scholars. The vice-chancellors of government universities in Odisha have agreed to a proposal to engage eligible college teachers as supervisors to PhD students.
The proposal of Odisha State Higher Education Council (OSHEC) was discussed at a meeting here with the vice-chancellors as acute shortage of professors left the students with little option but to wait for registration of their PhD programmes.
Vice-Chairman of the council Ashok Das, told media the VCs have agreed to the proposal. He said if a college teacher is found eligible as per UGC norms, he/she can become the guide of the PhD student. This will not only help the research scholars but also reduce the burden from the universities, he added.
As present, a research scholar can do his/her research work under the supervision of a university professor.
The eligibility criteria as laid down by UGC to become a PhD supervisor:
“A regularly appointed teacher in the university teaching department/ affiliated college with post-graduate department who holds the degree of PhD and five years post-graduate teaching/ research experience (excluding his Ph.D. research period) along with published work in reputed and recognized national/international journals to his credit”.
A retired teacher is also permitted to continue to guide PhD students who have already registered under him/her before retirement.
The maximum number of PhD scholars permitted at any given time under a supervisor will be as follows:
Professor 8
Associate professor 6
Assistant professor 4
