Dear Editor,
The remark that “the idea of academic pursuit has lost its sheen” reminds me of Dr S Radhakrishnan’s words: “If there is today a fall in our intellectual standards, if we are generally unable to compete with the best minds of the world, it is because of the lack of inward discipline.”
The value of a PhD degree has been reduced to a shop where you pay money and get the degree. Why does the UGC allow private universities and institutions that award PhD degrees on payment? These institutions are ‘education malls’ where degrees are sold by incompetent faculty to incompetent students. In my view, the guide should be decided by the UGC on the basis of the teacher’s scholarship. And the thesis should be submitted to the UGC for evaluation without the name of the institution or university.
Dr Anil Kakra
via-e-mail
