Kolkata: West Bengal’s higher education department has asked Jadavpur University to submit records of how students were admitted to its PhD programs over the past 10 years.
“The department has sought records on how students were admitted to PhD programs across departments. The registrar will send the details,” Vice-Chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee told The Telegraph. “Let the department give its opinion. Then we will decide our course of action (on PhD admissions),” he added.
The department sought the records a month after directing state-aided universities to discontinue research entrance tests (RET) for PhD admissions, following allegations of irregularities in university-level exams raised by RSS-affiliated teachers’ and students’ organizations.
In an August 5 order, the department asked universities to use scores from UGC-NET, UGC-CSIR NET, GATE and similar national-level tests, followed by an interview, for PhD admissions. It also “requested” universities not to conduct PhD Admission Test (PAT) or RETs.
A department official said: “The university had the option of using scores from UGC-NET, UGC-CSIR NET, GATE and similar national-level tests, followed by an interview. More promising candidates are found through NET/GATE. But the allegation is that the university conducted its own admission test to admit students, and the transparency of these tests has been questioned.”
On the other hand, a JU professor and member JU Teachers’ Association (JUTA), said the varsity conducted RETs in disciplines like nanoscience and technology and instrumentation science because the UGC does not hold NET in these subjects.
“Similarly, there is no NET for subjects such as film studies in the humanities. Therefore, in adherence to the UGC regulations issued in 2022, JU conducts research entrance tests for these subjects. The department has imposed a directive on PhD admissions, curbing the university’s autonomy,” he added.
The Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM), the teachers’ wing of the RSS, last week wrote to the JU vice-chancellor seeking a probe by a central investigating agency into alleged irregularities in the JU’s PhD admissions.