PhD In Odisha Universities: Delay In Registration Affecting Research Output

Bhubaneswar: Ph.D. scholars in Odisha are going through a rough patch. They are all ready to begin their research work but cannot do so due to the delay in registration process in the state universities and lack of guides.

Take the example of a scholar from Utkal College. Three of his friends and he had completed their PhD course work in 2015. They did not get guides due to the shortage of teachers in the college. Finally, they managed to get guides in 2018 and submitted their synopsis for Ph.D. before the Subject Research Committee (SRC), reported The Times of India (TOI).

“Although the SRC had cleared our analysis proposals in 2018, we’re yet to get any green signal from the college for registration. What stops this university for this? Several students are waiting for Ph.D. registration to begin their research work. If a scholar will look ahead to a number of years for registration, what analysis output we will anticipate from the college,” TOI quoted an aggrieved scholar as saying.

A senior administrator of a state-run university was quoted by TOI as saying that the guide problem will be solved once the recruitment process gets over. “The Ph.D. process is getting delayed due to the lack of guides. The state government has given permission to universities to fill up the vacant posts but the process has got delayed due to the pandemic. One or two universities had completed recruitment for some departments, but most of the universities will start the appointments once the situation gets better,” he added.

The recently published NIRF ranking showed that how state-run universities perform poorly in research. Only Utkal University has managed to get the 96th rank in university ranking. Sambalpur University found a place in the rank band of 101-150, while Berhampur University was at 151-200 in the university category. Other state-run universities did not figure in the top 200 list.

TOI quoted, Asoka Kumar Das, vice chairman of Odisha State Higher Education Council as saying that it has been the government’s effort through the Odisha University Research and Incentivisation Plan (OURIP) to create a concrete and revolutionary change in the research ecosystem. “However, the issue of Ph.D. students rests with the universities and only they can help in this matter.