The prospectus for PhD admission to the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has sparked a row, with students and teachers decrying the lack of clarity around the process and the decline in the number of seats.
The students have claimed that the total number of PhD seats across centres in the JNU will decline by 32 per cent from the academic year 2022-23 and many centres plan to fill all the seats with students selected for Junior Research Fellow (JRF).
Moreover, teachers and students at the university have raised concerns over the lack of clarity as regards the starting of the admission process. There was no immediate response from the administration.
The JNU recently released the PhD prospectus for the academic session 2022-23, according to which admissions will be based on merit.
The candidates seeking admission into PhD programmes have to appear in the CBT (Computer Based Test).
"It is to be noted that merely qualifying in the CBT does not entitle the candidates to be shortlisted for viva-voce examination. Shortlisting of the candidates to be called for viva-voce shall be done as per the following criteria," the prospectus mentioned.
The JRF-qualified candidates will be exempted from the CBT. They are required to apply separately under the JRF category. Such candidates shall be shortlisted and called directly for viva-voce.