“The average Ph.D. thesis is nothing but a transference of bones from one graveyard to another.” ―James Frank Dobie
There is a heated debate within academia about the doctoral degree (PhD) whether it is a qualification or a mere decoration. Nowadays, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in India has made a PhD mandatory for acquiring a Professorship in educational institutions. In addition, a PhD is imperative for directorial positions and the posts of principal. It has become a thorny issue for people who hail from industrial and corporate backgrounds who don't possess a PhD. However, they have rich corporate experience under their belt. As they are beset by corporate pressures they don't find an academic ambiance to pursue a doctoral degree. In contrast, academicians who want to grow in academia pursue PhD comfortably as they are already in an academic ambiance. However, they don't have corporate experience. Those who have a passion for teaching give up their lucrative corporate careers and join academics. Unfortunately, they are relegated to a background in academia as they don't have a PhD despite having vast industrial experience and practical exposure.
Hence, those who want to progress in the academic world are compelled to pursue a PhD. And pursuing PhD is not an easy thing. There are so many challenges while pursuing a PhD. I have seen few people who are highly capable with industrial experience leaving PhD in the initial stage itself due to non-cooperation from their guides and due to highly egoistic academicians.
Few mischievous guides in India exploit research scholars in the name of research. They deliberately delay the research process to draw more attention from their research scholars or seek some favors. Having fed up with mischievous research guides few research scholars have given up pursuing a PhD forever. It is also observed that there are PhD holders who don't have any academic stamina but bag doctoral degrees by manipulations. These days AICTE has made PhD mandatory for becoming professors and directors. Previously people with considerable industry background enjoyed the status of professorship. However, the recent tightening of the noose by AICTE to possess PhD for becoming professors forced educators from industry backgrounds behind in academia.
Some of the research scholars help pile up their guides' resumes with their publications. Some of the research scholars shell out their personal money to meet their guides' miscellaneous expenses. Some guides compel their research scholars to spend money when they go for paper presentations. If research scholars don't spend money their PhD will be delayed. Few unscrupulous guides in India have vitiated research and academic ambiance for their selfish gains.
For a few academicians who regularly sharpen their saws doing research for PhD and post-doctoral degrees, research is a passion. Such passionate academicians feel let down by unscrupulous guides who claim to the super persons with big egos and who have the habit of disagreeing with what is produced and created by the research scholars.
I have seen few experts in academics have a passion to acquire a PhD and ultimately end up without a PhD due to such unscrupulous guides. Few guides think of themselves as demigods and treat their research scholars with sadism thus leaving a bad impression among the ambitious research scholars who have a passion to make a difference in research and acquiring a PhD.
Unlike other postgraduate qualifications that can be acquired through examinations where the evaluators don't know who the examinees are, a PhD has to be done with the supervision of guides. As a result, completion of a PhD is in the sole hands of the guide.
I have seen a woman faculty with strong academic credentials who was awarded as the best teacher from a prestigious education institution pursuing her PhD in Indian education. The guide deliberately sent the thesis to a foreign country for evaluation and almost after a year, the evaluators returned with comments that they were not experts in Indian education and that they would not evaluate the PhD thesis. The woman faculty was upset about the way the guide deliberately did in this way thus delaying her PhD. She would have acquired a PhD within 4 years and now it is almost 7 years and is still struggling with her PhD with her guide who happens to be a woman.
Few guides trouble their research scholars when the latter don't meet their personal demands and expectations. Sometimes it could be money or writing papers for guides so that guides can publish in their names and take credit for publications.
If you want to grow academically you must possess PhD in most of the countries. Having a PhD helps widen your research skills thus becoming a successful academician. However, the road to acquisition of a PhD is a tough task with several challenges for research scholars especially in a country like India. To conclude, the acquisition of a doctoral degree has become a decoration for industry experts, a qualification for academicians, and a paper degree for passionate researchers in India.
“If a journal ever says they are having difficulty in finding reviewers―this is good! It means you’re in a small pool of people and working on something nobody else is.” ―Sir Peter Ratcliffe
“Have the strength of a horse, the hide of an elephant, and the work ethic of a bee." —Laureate Fraser Stoddart tells us what he thinks makes a good researcher.
References
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Professor M.S. Rao, Ph.D.
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants, India
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