Revamping of Doctoral Education in Agricultural Sciences in India

Central and State Agricultural Universities, including institutions affiliated to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), are responsible for offering Doctoral education in Agriculture and allied subjects in India. Graduates with doctoral degrees are deemed to be fully equipped to contribute to their chosen career fields in teaching, research and extension. The University Grants Commission’s (UGC) latest move asking universities to start considering the research period in Ph D programmes as equivalent to teaching experience has been perceived differently by academicians. The rationale for such a move by the UGC still needs to be fully reviewed. However, an initial argument could be made that it is an effort primarily to facilitate filling up of vacant faculty positions across India’s agricultural universities and higher educational institutions. As a common standard practice, these universities and institutions require a faculty candidate to have at least two years of teaching experience in order to be considered for the faculty position.