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PhD Students at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies have been completing their doctoral programmes without proper faculty. The institute does not have a full-time Director for the past 19 months.
The Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, University of Mumbai is yet to see the sounds of a hustling and bustling educational institution. Established under the UPA government in the year 2006, the institute is yet to see a full-time Director or a chair professor in over a year and a half. Sources have also stated that the institute does not even have a proper faculty to address the course.
During the inception of the Institute, the government at the time had decided to set up the Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary studies across various Universities in India. The directive of the institute was to provide the students with the opportunity to conduct research in areas such as technology, science, as well as aspects of the society, along with research in the areas of democracy and secularism as well as Panchayati Raj and many more. The major objective of the setting up the institute was to provide the government with an institute or an organisation that promotes research and become a “think-tank”. However, with the conclusion of the tenure of the late Dr Chandrakant Puri the month of March 2018, the Institute has not seen another full-time director occupying the seat of the director. However, since the institute needed a director, Dr Balaji Kendre from the Department of Sociology has been working as the Director-in-Charge for the institute.
As per a leading news agency, the Institute had released an advertisement for the position of the Director for the Institute. However, sources have stated that interviews for the same are yet to take place. Talking to the media, Dr Kendre stated that the institute does not employ any other faculty as of yet. He further added that advertisements for the same will soon be released. However, as per the directive, Dr Kendre stated that he has been conducting various seminars as well as different activities.
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The spokesperson for Mumbai University has disclosed that the varsity has been asking for a nominee from the UGC to become a full-time director at the institute, however, due to lack of the same, the due process has been further delayed. He further added that the University has been making various arrangements for filling up the posts of faculty at the institute with temporary faculty, while steps are being taken for filling up the position. As per sources, the government had invested almost ₹10 crores for the establishment of the institute along with requesting various corporations to donate funds to the development of the institute under the Corporate Social Responsibility.
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The Institute, as well as the infrastructure that has been developed for the purpose of delivering doctoral programmes, is yet to see the full usage of the facilities. Sources have stated that a total of 8 students have been offered PhD Degrees since the establishment of the institute, even though the institute has the capacity to hold 30 students per PhD batch. The reasons as to the lack of the full usage of the facilities could be plentiful, however, precious space and money remain stagnant. What is your take on the matter?
