WHAT WAS THE NEED OF ENTRANCE TEST?
The manipulative and anomalistic tendency of the VU administration can be understood by a fact that it did not mention about the ‘controversial’ marking system during the advertisement published in the national dailies with regard to its Ph D entrance programme. Even at the time of entrance examination in December 2013, the students were not informed about the ‘new’ marking system. Usually admission in any professional or academic courses is given on the basis of entrance test and the merit list is prepared with the names of successful candidates. Likewise, a candidate gets job after qualifying the entrance test organised by UPSC, PSC etc. Here in VU, a foul game is being played in the midway as on the one hand entrance test was conducted, but when it comes to giving admission to the candidates, the VU administration introduced manipulative and anomalistic marking system.
Ujjain: The Vikram University (VU) is all set to write a new script on the pattern of VYAPAM SCANDAL wherein hundreds of ‘incompetent’ and ‘ineligible’ students were given admission in MBBS course. Here, an exercise is being underway to admit 530 students in the Ph D admissions in various disciplines for the year 2014 while keeping apart all the rules and regulations and also by flouting the set precedence.
Admissions for Ph D programme in different university teaching departments (UTDs) and colleges of the VU is being carried out from May 20 and it will continue till June 20. The students who passed the entrance test will be entitled to appear in the interviews.
But, the VU administration in connivance with some UTD teachers and commercial operatives have designed a module to supersede the Ph D Ordinance (number 90, New) of the university, the Madhya Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya Adhiniyam, 1973 and the University Grants Commission. According to informed sources, all these provisions clearly say that a merit list shall be prepared by the committee (which means Departmental Research Committee) on the basis of the result of the entrance test. Moreover, Clause 11(d) of the Ordinance states that the Board (which means Interview Board) will assess the research potential of the candidates.
In such a provision or elsewhere in the Ordinance, no scheme for the award of marks to the candidates appearing in the interview has been provided. However, the VU administration (vide its letter number Academic/PhD Reg/2014/25 dated 20.03.14) directed to work as according to the Scheme to assess the research potential of the candidates by DRC with a footnote in the letter, “Recommendation for admission shall be made by the DRC on the basis of research potential of the candidates”, but without making any reference of any provision of the PhD Ordinance number 90 (New).
According to a senior professor, the Scheme to assess the research potential of the candidates by DRC is not consistent with the provisions of the PhD Ordinance number 90 (New) of the VU itself; rather it is contradictory with the provisions of the Ordinance. Even no reference of such a scheme has been made in the directives issued by the University administration in its letter Academic/PhD Reg/2014/21/dated 29.03.14.
“The directives issued by the university administration by these letters (instructions for following the above mentioned scheme) are contradictory and confusing as only one set of instructions can be followed at one point of time. If both sets of the directives are followed simultaneously, the DRC will have to prepare two merit lists,” he added. He also said that one more confusion is regarding the different directives of the VU administration as regards to the assessment of the research potential of the candidates.
In the draft scheme to assess the research potential of the candidates by DRC (vide university’s notification letter number Academic/PhD Reg/2014/Q/dated 25/02/14), the VU administration states that merit list will be prepared on the basis of total marks obtained by the candidate where as in the scheme to assess the research potential of the candidates by DRC, the administration states that recommendation for PhD admission shall be made by the DRC on the basis of assessment of research potential of the candidates.
If informed sources are to be believed, the new marking system evolved was the VU authorities was nothing, but it is an effort to give backdoor entry to the local students and to ignore the claim of those students who were successful in the entrance test. “Manipulative tactics have been allowed to flourish on the cost of future of the talented students and all those NET, SLET successful candidates also who should have been given preference over other students as they touched the national standards,” sources disclosed. But, ironically, most of the UTDs teachers are keeping mum on the issue due to one or the other reason.
“This is an issue of fixing as merit list will not be prepared on the basis of written test, but as per the will of influential teachers and in turn middlemen will also have a role to play,” sources maintained. It is also a bone of contention that the VU administration has been dealing with the issue of Ph D admission kicking out the Academic Council, Executive Council and Co-ordination Committee of MP Universities.
On being contacted, Registrar Dr BL Bunkar told Free Press that all decisions have been made by the Central Committee after the approval of the Vice-Chancellor (VC). Meanwhile, acting VC and Central Committee chairman Prof Sanjay Ghosh clarified that the process adopted for the Ph D admission is more transparent this year as compared to the previous year. He said that a candidate could qualify for the admission on the 80 percent individual merit and the DRC could give only 20 percent marks to a candidate.
