The Osmania University’s decision to set a March-end deadline for submission of doctoral theses for candidates who have completed six years has spurred ‘research’ activity while raising concerns about quality.
The premier university, which is under the pump, thanks to inadequate faculty strength following lack of recruitments and a fund crunch, has offered a “one-time, last opportunity” to Ph.D candidates enrolled in the last two decades. Many have woken up to the grim reality that their admission is at the risk of getting cancelled after expiry of the deadline.
Although the intent of the administration seems sound on paper, the university is apparently caught in a bind to accept theses with ‘less academic rigour’ and ‘quality’ as it is being “fast-tracked” and “compressed into a few months” whereas the entire process usually takes three to six years.
