‘Don’t link PhD and NAAC accreditation’

Former vice-chairman of University Grants Commissionm professor H Devaraj, spoke to TOI on why there is a rush to publish papers and getting PhDs, how the UGC intervened to discontinue the part-time PhD programme in Bharathiar University and the measures taken to end outsourcing of PhD.
Why is there a rush to get PhDs and to publish in journals?
We should not ask PhD or research papers for NAAC or NBA accreditation.It causes inbreeding PhDs and paid publications. Clearing NET/SLET is tougher than getting PhDs. But UGC adopted a wrong policy when it decided to give increments for faculty members who completed PhD. MHRD also announced that PhD would be a minimum qualification for assistant professors in universities from 2021.
Too many papers being published ...
We need to be careful while allowing colleges to do research work. Many colleges do not have the infrastructure or resources to do it. Yet they are publishing papers due to the prominence given in accreditation for research publications. Part-time PhD (category B) is another major reason for the dilution in quality of PhDs. Unless there is a collaborative research by industry experts and academia, we should not allow any part-time PhDs.
What can be done to ensure quality?
Candidates with JRF or project fellowship alone should be allowed to do PhD. PhDs are not required to teach in colleges. Candidates who clear National Eligibility Test will be competent to do research and write thesis. If we ensure these steps, then there will not be any need for outsourcing research work.
UGC once intervened to stop part-time PhD programme in Bharathiar University. How should UGC deal with outsourcing PhD and ghost writing?
Bharathiar University once admitted thousands of PhD scholars under part-time PhD (category B) programme. A student from anywhere can register for the PhD and a guide from anywhere can supervise and they can submit theses. It was horrible. In 2015, UGC had called then vice-chancellor to Delhi and ordered him to stop the programme. Later, university discontinued the programme. UGC should evolve new mechanisms to identify and prevent outsourcing PhDs and ghost writing. They should enhance the punishment for such practices.