MF AHMAD
Daltonganj, Feb 9: Nilamber Pitamber University in Medininagar has in its bulletin announced 134 vacant seats in 14 subjects for the entrance test for PhD 2023.
The vacant seats for the PhD entrance test in five subjects namely Hindi, Urdu, Geology, Sanskrit and Sociology are not available as supervisors/PhD guides of these subjects have full quota research scholars working under them on these are underway, said the PhD entrance co ordinator Dr RK Jha.
The UGC regulations 2022 sets the number of researchers under an assistant professor, associate professor and professor as 4, 6 and 8 respectively.
As NPU provides only up to degree level teaching of Anthropology, the question of PhD entrance test does not arise with this subject which is not taught at the post-graduate level.
The PhD entrance test is going to be conducted at this university after a gap of five years.
The declaration of 134 vacant seats is as per the reservation policy to date wherein the university reserves its right to make necessary amendments depending upon any changes in the instance of the reservation policy of the state government.
The vacancy of seats has been in line with the UGC minimum standards and procedures for the award of the PhD degrees regulation 2022, said Dr RK Jha.
The breakup of the 134 vacant seats is as such – 61 seats unreserved, 19 OBC, 15 SC, 33 ST, and six Economically Weaker Sections.
However, the NPU has not made any seat available for the PWD (person with disability) in its bulletin. The lowest number of vacant seats are in Geography, Commerce and Philosophy which is 4,5 and 6 respectively.
Similarly, eight seats each are vacant for PhD work in subjects like psychology, zoology, mathematics and physics.
As part of women empowerment, the NPU here has eight vacant seats for the Home Science subject which continues to be a total female domain as male students are out of the loop of this Home Science subject.
Notably, History and Political Science subjects have 16 vacant seats each. The vacancy for seats in English, Economics, Botany, and Chemistry are 13, 12, 11 and 11 respectively.
The entrance test is in the offline mode and the duration of the test is two hours where multiple choice questions are to be answered said the PhD entrance test coordinator, Dr R K Jha.
There will be 50 number questions each bearing one mark for the subject in which PhD is to be pursued and 50 number questions each bearing again one mark on the research methodology said, Dr Jha. There will be no negative marking in the event of a wrong answer.
The university has fixed a high premium for the entrance test fee which is Rs 1,500 for unreserved and OBC categories and Rs 1,000 for the SC, ST, EWS and PwD.
When asked as to why such a hefty fee has been fixed for the PhD entrance test 2023, Dr Jha said “I would place this matter of fee with the higher officials of the university as I am not competent to make any comment.”
Sources said it has been a long-standing practice of the institution especially the government one, to warrant 50 per cent of fee only of the fee fixed for unreserved and OBC.
Various student bodies here have urged the NPU to reconsider the fee for the entrance test and to scale it down to 700 rupees for unreserved and OBC and 350 rupees for the SC, ST, EWS and PwD.
The duly filled-in application form in hard copy is to be submitted ‘by hand or by post’ to the registrar of the university on or before February 22 and the soft copy should be mailed to npupet2023@gmail.com by midnight of February 22.
The candidates will need to submit self-attached copies of the certificates and mark sheets from matriculation onward along with one identity proof in form of a copy of the driving licence, voter ID card, passport, Aadhar card etc.
The university has fixed March 22 as the date of the entrance test wherein the postgraduate degree holders having 55 per cent marks in the subject in which PhD course is to be pursued, is mandated.
Successful candidates of the PhD entrance test will have to face an interview which is mandatory, added Jha.
