More time, but not grants: What PhD, MPhil students have to say about UGC’s extended deadline

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New Delhi: University Grants Commission (UGC) announced On Thursday, it had given an extension of six months for thesis submissions by MPhil and PhD students. The statutory government body said the shifting of the deadline from December 31, 2021 to June 30 next year was done “keeping in mind the larger interest of research scholars”. However, some researchers across the country have pointed out that the extension of the deadline does not account for their financial hardship in view of the delays and restrictions related to COVID.

These students claim that in the last two years, they have not been able to do field research satisfactorily and have exhausted their grants and personal savings just by staying on campus. Students get on UGC fellowship marginal grant Between Rs 31,000 and Rs 42,000, spread over two or three years, plus a “contingency” charge that ranges from Rs 12,000 to Rs 70,000 per year. Scholars argue that the extension of time to submit their work does not match the extension of the grant.

Aishe Ghosh, a PhD student and president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), tweeted about the matter saying that although the deadline has been extended, the scholarship will be awarded only for five years. “JNU was closed during the lockdown and is still in the process of reopening. We not only lost time on research, but also used our personal savings and scholarship money to live on campus, Ghosh told ThePrint.

JNUSU has repeatedly demanded that the UGC should extend scholarships for scholars.
Consideration extension has been provided, the notice states that the scholarship will be for five years only. pic.twitter.com/b1ZyAjQdBW

— aish (ঐশী) (@aishe_ghosh) December 1, 2021

Students from other parts of the country have raised similar concerns, including Kiran Kumar, a final year PhD student at the Central University of Hyderabad and president of the All India OBC Students’ Union. He told ThePrint that it was difficult to continue research due to lack of funding. Raja Kumar, a PhD student at the Central University in Assam, further said that university scholars are already lagging behind in getting funds.

ThePrint reached out to UGC Secretary Prof Rajneesh Jain over the mail, but did not get revert till the time of publication of this report. Calls to the UGC’s Under Secretary’s office went unanswered.

Read also: What is ‘LOTA’ doing in PhD? Why is the UGC concerned about Indian research?

‘Both financial and mental health suffer’

Due to the COVID lockdown and restrictions, many PhD students have struggled to do fieldwork and research. Kiran Kumar said that with the extension of the deadline, students will also need money to continue their work.

“The pandemic has created problems from a financial and mental health point of view. The financial support will help the research continue over the extended period of time. Fieldwork was not possible due to the pandemic, with so many restrictions on travel for fear of a third wave. At CUH we have around 230-240 final year students. There are students who have completed their studies since 2019 but have not been able to complete research due to the pandemic,” he told ThePrint.

He also outlined the financial and medical struggle of the students. Kiran said, “Students who were getting the grant, used it to pay their medical bills when they were with Covid or were simply staying on campus.”

ThePrint also spoke to students from central universities in Assam and Puducherry, who said they were concerned about their ability to complete their research projects. “Students have not received PhD grants and contingency funds in the last eight months. The university administration says that they have not received funds from the UGC themselves. If this continues, how will we continue our fieldwork now?” Raja Kumar, a PhD student at the Central University of Assam, said. Another student at Puducherry Central University (who requested anonymity) was worried about completing his thesis. “Most PhD scholars are required to do field research. How can we do this without funding?”

Individual universities can’t do much

Several students said that though they have reached out to their respective universities for assistance, little can be done as the matter comes under the purview of the UGC.

Dr. Kanchan K., PhD Consultant, Hyderabad Central University. Malik told ThePrint that the rules are clear. “As per the UGC rules, Fellows can only receive grants up to five years. If students wish to continue their research position over that period, they are expected to finance it themselves. Of course, since these are special circumstances and students feel the need for continued financial assistance, they can represent their case before the UGC,” she said.

However, Malik also told ThePrint that the extension applies specifically to thesis writing and submission, and not to research. “The extension in the submission date means that the final year students have been given more time to write their thesis. Typically, doctoral students do research in the first two-three years of their fellowship. The last year is used to write his doctoral thesis,” she said.

The way forward for the students is still not clear. According to Aishe Ghosh, many student unions have approached JNUSU as it is located in Delhi, but no progress has been made. “When we spoke to a UGC official, he asked us to take up the issue with the education ministry,” Ghosh told ThePrint.

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