HYDERABAD: Academic research has taken a back seat in the two Telugu-speaking states. Though India churns out more than 20,000 PhDs on an annual basis, the figures are dismal in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and more so in the last two years. Only 202 students from TS and 292 students from Andhra Pradesh were awarded PhDs in 2014-15, and 723 students from TS and 393 students from AP got PhDs in 2015-16. Except for PhDs in technical courses, the future is uncertain for doctoral studies in streams like Science, Arts, Languages etc.
M. Venkatesh Chouhan, who joined for a PhD (Telugu Literature) in 2013 in the University of Hyderabad has advice to offer to his juniors. “I am 31 years old and my PhD is going to be completed in 2018. However, I am not sure where I will get a job with this qualification. Research study is not a priority for a majority of students for obvious reasons. Those joining also are unable to focus on qualitative research due to various reasons,” he says.
The newly appointed UGC member, Prof. G. Gopal Reddy, who has been associated with Osmania University for long, felt that students’ interest in PhDs has been on the decline. “There isn’t enough of seriousness like before. Research scholars enrolling for PhDs are unable to fully focus on the subject and complete their studies in three to five years. Some are dropping mid-way. There are fewer job opportunities, except for engineering PhDs. This is also one of the reasons,” he felt.
If the state-wise break-up of PhDs awarded is taken into consideration, Delhi, Karn-ataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are placed way better than both the Telugu states. Even states like Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Orissa and Gujarat are consistently producing a good number of PhDs in comparison to TS and AP.
