PhD degree holders ‘approach’ political leaders to escape action

The Tribune: Rohtak: Friday, 31 July 2020.

The recent direction of the Department of Higher Education to principals of all government colleges to verify PhD degrees of extension lecturers has created a stir among them.

A majority of them have acquired PhD degrees from private and deemed universities situated outside Haryana without adhering to norms of the University Grants Commission (UGC). They have reportedly started approaching politicians of their area to escape any possible action against them.

These lecturers had refused to furnish details about their PhD degrees when social activists from Sirsa Kartar Singh and Jagmit Singh sought information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from all government colleges across the state.

‘Will stir up hornet’s nest’

"The verification of PhD degrees will stir up a hornet’s nest for lecturers who acquired the degree from private universities situated outside Haryana. They neither attended the course work nor followed UGC norms. Like others, I am trying to contact a political leader to escape action." Extension lecturer

The activists alleged that PhD degrees of more than 500 extension lecturers were invalid as universities, which issued the degrees did not comply with the UGC guidelines. They demand that candidates who secured jobs on the basis of “invalid” degrees should be booked.

More than 2,000 extension lectures are working in government colleges across the state. Of them, more than 800 hold PhD degrees.

An extension lecturer, on the condition of anonymity, said: “The verification of PhD degrees will stir up a hornet’s nest for almost every extension lecturer who acquired the degree during the job from private universities situated outside Haryana. They neither attended the course work nor followed UGC norms. Like others, I am trying to contact a political leader to escape action.”

Meanwhile, Rampal Badhwar, president, Haryana Contractual Teachers Association, has demanded that PhD degrees of all regular lecturers should also be verified. “Instead of asking college principals to verify degrees, the government should constitute an inquiry panel to look into the matter,” he added.