I like to write down some of my opinions about PhDs in today's scenario in technical education. In an engineering college as far as private is concerned M.Tech is the minimum qualification and nothing can be said about the government colleges ( politics, references etc etc). If a faculty is M.Tech but not PhD then inspite of being a good faculty he or she will always be incomplete and to overcome all these odds faculty has to get the "PhD".
Faculty has some options:
1. Decide about your career at the very beginning. Do B.Tech, M.Tech and enroll in PhD in one go.
2. Full time PhD from IITs, IISc, NITs or institute of a good repute and it may take several years to complete. If you are intelligent, diligent then you are too precious to your guide and guide never wants to let his student to go so easily. If you are not so good then forget about it. Only practical, astute, social researcher can achieve his goal in time.
3. Part time PhDs. Again time is an issue. Contact hours with guide is less. The most important thing the research scholar will miss is the positive, encouraging environment of the campus, sharing of knowledge.
4. PhDs from private universities. Few are good but some are so easy that questions about their authentication may rise. I don't like to quote the names. But they all are approved by a respected organisation of our nation "UGC". And again respect from peers is an issue.
5. Clear GRE and TOEFL and do it from foriegn universities.
6. PhDs from online universities (let me tell you that they all are fake)
Summarizing: There is a great difference in getting just a doctorate or getting an earned Phd degree. But the pressure of getting rid from it is making this boundary invisible even by good people.
I like to ask question from the acedmicians:
1. Who is responsible for forcing young and real teachers to get the PhD degree by hook or by crook?
2. What is a true research? Is it feasible?
Very Well said Sir...
ReplyDeleteI hope.............it is not your frustrtion and you really mean it. It is true that the higher bodies should think differently for the really good teachers. In the present scenerio person having good teaching capabilities are getting less perks than those having a b****y Ph.D. even if he/she dont know how to teach. Apart from that most of the (so called) research work done by academicians are just a formality and hardly help any real cause like industries.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the faculty member should be exempted from aquiring Ph.D. or some other options like aquiring API must be considered for promotion and increase in pay.
Its not my frustration but a common problem faced by many technical teachers. If someone like to say that we are frustrated then i am ok with it.
DeleteCongratulations! for starting this debate. We neither have infrastructure nor the will to do research. Why do Indians are not able to pursue research in India? and the same persons works wonderfully abroad. First, no belief is there that the result will be there and then no encouragement for research. The reward is there only if you get the Ph.D. degree... by hook or by crook. The encouragement should be on no. of papers and actual no of patents and useful patents. On that basis the promotions must be decided.
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