The good thing is the Arjun Singh is not in the cabinet. So hopefully the HRD will get a sensible minister.
The bad thing is that the whole education system is a mess. Under the new reservation scheme, we need to reserve even PhD seats. Which is ridiculous because the number of PhD seats available varies depending upon the positions available in each laboratory in our department. However, starting this year we have to take 2006 as the baseline and account for 27% increase and this will be the number of the students we have to take every year irrespective of the available positions. It is pretty stupid because PhDs cannot be doled out but who can explain it to the minister/bureaucrats/agitating students. Many of the PhDs churned out are actually unemployable but no one is worried about that.
Universities are a battered lot. Our M.Sc students are invariably exported out. The students themselves no longer wish to work for 5-6 years to earn a PhD. They prefer the European pastures because you get a PhD in 3 years. That you cannot do much in 3 years is not something they are bothered about. Quick and fast are the keywords.
In these fast track times comes the news that even US universities are mulling the option of introducing 3-year courses.
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