COIMBATORE:The University Grants Commission (UGC) has warned universities that any PhD or MPhil degree awarded by them under the supervision of a guide who is not a faculty member of either the university or its affiliated PG college or institution would be viewed very seriously.
Calling it a violation of prescribed norms, UGC secretary Jaspal S Sandhu in a letter on Monday, to Vice Chancellors of universities across the country, said, “It has come to the notice of the UGC that some universities are hiring the services of supervisors who do not happen to be regular teachers of the universities or its affiliated PG college or institutions, while awarding the MPhil or PhD degree. This practice is in violation of UGC(Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of MPhil / PhD Degree) Regulation, 2009.”
Universities shall allocate the supervisor from amongst the regular faculty members depending on the number of students per faculty member, the available specialization among the faculty supervisors and the research interest of the student, he clarified.
Welcoming the decision of the apex body, former general secretary of AUT
C Pichandy called on varsities to desist from such practice and stick to the UGC regulation both in letter and spirit.