Research scholars in a fix after MU delays theses uploading on Shodhganga

Mumbai: Two research students of the University of Mumbai (MU) were shocked to know that the PhD topic they had worked on for almost 18 months was no longer relevant and they would have to look for a new topic. Theses on the topics the duo was working on were already done by other researchers of the university a few years ago.

The duo alleged that the university’s negligence in uploading PhD theses on Shodhganga—the digital repository of Indian electronic thesis and dissertations set up by the UGC-INFLIBNET Centre—has led to a waste of their academic time.

“I selected my research topic after a discussion with my faculty member and a search on Shodhganga to avoid duplication. After working on my topic for almost 16 months, a former student from my course told me to check with the thesis department. Last month, I got to know that a PhD on the same topic was done a few years ago,” a student of the humanities faculty said. Another student from the same faculty faced the same issue and raised concern about the time they spent researching on the topic which is a precursor to registration.

According to official figures, the university receives around 350 theses and research papers every year from scholars in its departments, research centres and affiliated colleges. On average, the university hands out 330 PhDs annually. Since it was mandated in 2011, only 1,368 theses under the MU have been uploaded on Shodhganga till date.

Members of the Mumbai University and College Teachers’ Association (MUCTA) said the MU has violated the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines by failing to upload all theses on Shodhganga. Failure to upload all theses is likely to have an impact not only on the selection of subject by PhD students, but also on the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF) of the university.

Recently, MUCTA wrote a letter to the governor and the chancellor of all universities in the state demanding action against the person who is responsible for the negligence and delay. “Research criteria plays a vital role and most of the institute’s rank gets affected because of less publication. This year, it is mandatory that institutions applying for NIRF should upload all PhD theses on the Shodhganga portal. As per the Maharashtra Public University Act 2016 u/s 13 (1), the pro-vice-chancellor is the academic and executive officer. Despite having a full-time pro-vice-chancellor for the last five years, the Shodhganga site dashboard reveals that the MU has uploaded only 1,368 theses,” the letter stated.

The letter also pointed out, “MU is much behind as compared to other state universities in Maharashtra.”

Subhash Athawale, general secretary, MUCTA, said, “Despite clear guidelines from the UGC and the All India Technical Education Council (AICTE), very few PhD theses are uploaded by the MU. There is fear the institution will lose its NIRF ranking. We request the governor to take action against the responsible authority.”

An MU official said, “We have started uploading theses on Shodhganga. To make the process fast, we will call tenders. It will take some time, but we will soon upload all the research work.”