Not long ago, Mumbai Univ was forced to stop its MPhil courses for want of students. But now it is flooded with requests to begin them again.
Not long ago, the University of Mumbai was forced to stop most of its MPhil courses for want of students. But now it is flooded with requests to begin those courses again.
After the University Grants Commission (UGC) said two months ago that it would accept MPhil degrees for appointment as lecturers in degree colleges, there has been a spurt in the number of students seeking MPhil courses in the university. Earlier, for appointment as lecturer, a candidate had to clear the National Eligibility Test (NET) or the State-Level Eligibility Test (SLET).
A senior university official, requesting anonymity, said: “On a daily basis, about 50-odd students seek details about availability of the courses. Completing an MPhil is easier than passing NETSLET.”
The university had stopped MPhil courses in 38 departments five years ago. Currently, only a few departments conduct lectures for MPhil. “Earlier, if a student wanted to pursue a career as a professor in a college, MPhil was considered as an invalid degree. However, the change in the qualification criteria for senior lecturers has come as a boon for us. But, unfortunately, the University of Mumbai does not provide MPhil courses in various subjects,” said Rahul Sarawate, an MPhil aspirant.
Another student, Babasaheb Kamble, pursuing MPhil in History from the university, said securing an MPhil was equivalent to passing the NETSLET exam with good score. He said, “A student pursuing an MPhil gains an in-depth knowledge in that subject, which is an appropriate qualification to be a lecturer. But, with the unavailability of courses in the university, students have been seeking admissions in not so famous universities, like Alagappa University and Yeshwantrao Chavan Open University.”
Meanwhile, the Samatawadi Chhatrabharati, a student union, has submitted a memorandum to the university urging it to restart MPhil courses in all departments.
“The university has decided to consider starting MPhil course once again. A lot of things go into starting the MPhil courses again - like devising the admission process and framing the curriculum,” said VN Magare, director of the Bombay College and University Development Department of the university.
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