Mumbai: It has been over a year since the University of Mumbai (MU) conducted the PhD Entrance Test (PET) for admitting research scholars to its doctoral programme.
While the test was last conducted in August 2020, the varsity is yet to begin the application process for the current year. MU’s thesis department, which carries out the entrance exam, is awaiting a nod from the management council to begin the process.
“The university’s board of deans has given its approval for conducting PET, but we are waiting for the management council’s approval. The registrations will begin shortly,” an official said.
The varsity conducts PET once every year for around 79 different subjects followed by interviews, with a 70:30 weightage for the test and interview. The candidates are admitted throughout the year depending on the available spots.
Yuva Sena (UBT) criticises delay in conducting exam
On Tuesday, Yuva Sena (UBT) submitted a letter to the university Pro Vice Chancellor Ajay Bhamare, criticising the delay in conducting the exam. It also demanded that the test be conducted twice a year.
“The National Education Policy puts emphasis on enhancing research in education. However, the university hasn’t conducted the exam since more than a year even though there are PhD guides available,” said Santosh Dhotre, joint secretary of Yuva Sena (UBT).
Delay in admissions
The Free Press Journal had earlier also reported about the delay in PhD admissions at the Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (SNDT) Women’s University, which didn’t conduct PET for around a one-and-a-half year period since February 2022. The varsity finally held the test in June and carried out the interviews in July. The list of selected candidates was out earlier this month.
Even at SNDT, the exam was conducted twice a year, in the months of July and December, until a few years ago. However, the admission cycle was disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
