UoH Students Protest PhD Admissions Cancellation, Demand Revocation Unconditionally

Hyderabad: Students of the University of Hyderabad on Saturday staged a protest against cancellation of more than 100 PhD admissions of scholars after the Covid-19 pandemic citing rules and norms. The students alleged that an 'alarming number' of students, most of them from vulnerable backgrounds, were dropping out from their colleges.

"A total of 107 PhD admissions have been cancelled in the aftermath of the pandemic. These students are from marginalised sections and their requests have gone unheeded by the administration despite repeated requests on their part on grounds of arbitrary technicalities," said Sai B., a student. He added that recently, President Droupadi Murmu in an address had highlighted the issue as a grave one where about 2,500 students from marginalised communities had dropped out of premier higher educational institutions. "She remarked that the issue must be investigated and resolved with utmost care," he said.

The protests were led by Bahujan Students' Front (BSF) HCU, whose former president Rakhee Naiding, a tribal scholar from Assam, was not being allowed to submit her thesis as a result of 'arbitrary rules' in the university.

They said that the situation of the pandemic and the induced lockdown was extraordinary in the history of humanity, and it is a surprise that the university failed to take this into account when considering cases of individual scholars. "Students have had to undergo great ordeal during this time and the cancellation of admissions has taken a further toll on their mental health due to grave uncertainties regarding their future," Sai added.

Another student asked why university refuses to act on the cases given they are an autonomous institution with its own discretionary powers. "HCU can and should curtail dropouts and facilitate the students to complete their higher education," Rehana said, and added that it's even more important given that for Bahujan students, higher education works towards their emancipation, and depriving them of educational opportunity is a grave injustice.

"Cancellation of PhD admissions is unheard of and if other universities have made concessions for students after the re-opening in 2023 in addition to the UGC-granted extensions, then why not HCU," she asked.

The students demanded that HCU administration revoke the cancellations and facilitates the submission of the PhDs of the scholars 'unconditionally'.