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Permalink Reply by S.Prabhu on March 23, 2015 at 0:15

Thanks for sharing sir...

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Permalink Reply by Neeraj Kumar Singh on March 23, 2015 at 17:45

thank you sir for making the document available on the forum.

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on March 24, 2015 at 0:12

A very good news indeed.

A single examination for whole India!

Means a SINGLE Yardstick for evaluation!

Now the competition will be just & even!!

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Permalink Reply by Ganesh Singh on March 24, 2015 at 4:33

Siddhartha sir please elaborate that good news.

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on March 24, 2015 at 20:20

Dear Sri Ganesh Singh,
I am elaborating my post as requested by you "point by point"
I have taken the liberty of assigning points to each of the four sentences I wrote in my post!

(1) The "Good News" is obviously the Supreme Court Order which you have posted as an attached file.

(2) & (3)
I believe that you have gone through the order.In the pages 14 & 15 of that order the two issues I mentioned above have been adequately explained.

(4) The last sentence is rather 'an inference' pertaining to the statements in pp.14-15 of the order.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by Siddu on April 7, 2015 at 16:47

While it is a good decision to make "NET" compulsory for lectureship, equally bad is the diluted standards of the qualifying exam "NET".
Qualification in NET has now stopped being an yardstick for judging aspirants to lectureship. This is truly pathetic.

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on April 8, 2015 at 0:15

Dear Sri Siddu,

I agree with you completely.

I also support your comments regarding the standard of UGC NET.

I sincerely and honestly believe that with the types of questions set in the NETs, it is extremely difficult to evaluate a candidate's depth of knowledge; ability to explain and analyse complex issues pertaining to the subjects concerned; which according to my beliefs, are essential prerequisites.  Being associated with frontline research and higher academia on diverse subject areas for a considerable period of time, I presume that I have gathered some ideas about the basic requirements to do Research or to undertake academic careers.

Gaining a degree of Ph.D. to put it before one's name and doing the research devotedly are two distantly different things. Similarly, to undertake academic jobs to earn our living and to teach students in pedagogical sense are also very different. I often get confused what UGC really wants? a pool of people who have crossed a hurdle called NET?

A few days ago, I talked with a senior Professor who, as I understand, is very closely associated with UGC for last couple of years.  Several years ago I witnessed him doing his Doctoral Research. As I expressed my curiosity to him, he simply replied that In those days, there had been no NET and no formal course-works for doing Doctoral Research, the Boards of Research Studies & the Supervisors were more than enough to judge the abilities of the candidates and they used to be morally responsible if anything spurious t happened.

In these days, with imposition of so many hurdles, neither the board nor the supervisors feel so strongly as they have alibis to defend themselves because the researchers have successfully completed formal requirements.

The UGC 's role is rather critical as I think. If the standard is set properly or the evaluation procedures are modified, it is needless to say what will happen!! There will be huge uproars ultimately in political arena as well and UGC has very wisely sensed the heat it will create. In order to remain in the safest side, UGC has made certain norms which theoretically seems to be quite transparent and  more importantly, skin saving for them.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by Santosh on April 8, 2015 at 5:34

I strongly feel making Paper II or III (afternoon session) as objective is a bad idea and decision. I had to literally solve the questions and that shows the knowledge of the candidate.

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Permalink Reply by Santosh on April 8, 2015 at 5:30

What happens to existing faculty holding PhD degrees already but not having NET?

I am NET qualified! Asking for my friends and colleagues.

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on April 8, 2015 at 21:24

Dear Sri Santosh,

Thank you very much for your post.

Actually I was expecting many such posts from those who have cracked the NET.

You are absolutely correct in your point and certainly raise the question in your second comment (from top downwards in the list)

Had you followed my posts of March 24 & 25, you might have seen my comments there. In Western Countries, there exit norms & practices of renewal of qualifications through CEPs (Continuing Education Programmes) and it is very strongly followed in our profession. Unfortunately, in our country such efforts are not practiced adequately (though UGC has introduced a lukewarm norm in the form of the API a few years ago and because of the lack of proper planning, it gave birth of enumerable numbers of ISSN assigned trash journals)  Unfortunately, adherence to quality has never gained ground in our country practical sense. From food grains to vegetables in the market, from life saving drugs to manufacturing industries, from educational institutions to Political enterprises, quality is the issue which has been pathetically sacrificed everywhere.

A couple of decades ago there was a very catchy slogan from the Government

                                    Be Indian.... Buy Indian

and one of my very intelligent friend  modified the slogan with addition of just two words and it took the form

                        Be(a Happy) Indian ...............  Buy (Nothing) Indian!!

The reason was that he bought a Color TV manufactured by an Indian Company and within a month the picture tube went off!!

Anyway, Jokes, apart, the irony is that we all know about the inflation of spurious materials in our society and human resources are no exception but when it comes to anything of our interest, we do not think even twice to compromise with it. However, we still shout loud against such issues (presumably to keep our consensus clean!!). The UGC is a body accountable to parliament & judiciary, to remain in the safe side, they have devised certain norms like the NET, or Pre-Phd Course works etc. so that if they are questioned they can justify their position eliciting steps they have taken to combat such issues and at the same time, to please the people (who can challenge them through Parliament /Judiciary) they have set the yardstick of evaluation in such standard that a fair number of people can pass through!!

In Hindi there is a Kahawat (proverb) Saanp Vi Mare; Lathi Vi Na Toote !! this is a classical example of this

There was yet another proverb Deserve, then Desire and I have deliberately used past tense to that proverb because, this does not hold good anymore in today's global village.

Sincerely,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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