Srinagar, Oct 18: Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission issued the selection list of English lecturers in the Higher Education Department on October 1. Only three candidates from Kashmir figured among 21 candidates selected with Jammu getting 18 selections.
 Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior PSC official said the issue should not be looked through the prism of Jammu versus Kashmir. “For 21 posts, the PSC had received only seven applications from the valley and 54 from Jammu,” he told Greater Kashmir, adding the academic merit at the PG level of most applicants from Kashmir was far below than their Jammu counterparts.
 Knowledgeable sources trace the yawning gap in the academic merit of candidates from Kashmir and Jammu to the evaluation of the answer sheets by their respective examiners. “It has generally been observed that the examiners in Kashmir resort to harsh marking compared to liberal attitude of their Jammu counterparts,” sources said.
 “It is a dream for the Kashmiri students to secure 55 per cent marks to qualify for M Phil even in Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, leave alone Science subjects,” they told Greater Kashmir, adding that in contrast, students in Jammu University were awarded more than 60 per cent marks at PG level because of which they became eligible for M Phil without any difficulty.
 The research scholars enrolled with the Kashmir University find completion of their courses time consuming in that those who somehow secure 55 per cent or more marks and eventually get admission to M Phil require three to four years to complete the course. “It takes three to four years to complete M Phil against normal 18 months,” said a candidate, who recently completed his M Phil from the KU. Scholars said those who had submitted their forms for M Phil in English in 2005, the Department had declared their results in March 2009.
 “Technically, the students complete their degrees in less than 18 months, but the time taken in submission of forms, call for entrance, declaration of result, approval of thesis, registration, sending the thesis to examiner, call for viva voce takes more than 2 years,” said a candidate.
 “In contrast, a candidate in Jammu can directly apply for Ph D. The time period, within which Kashmir University students complete M Phil, the Jammu University candidates complete their Ph D,” he said. 
 In 2004 and 2005, the University of Kashmir had admitted candidates for direct Ph D. But the University reversed its decision in 2006 and made M Phil mandatory for admission to Ph.D.
 Scholars attribute the situation to procedural delays in processing registrations and admission forms; tardy pace of evaluation and professional rivalries between guides and examiners which result in inordinate delay in the award of degrees.  The exploitation of students by guides in some cases has also been alleged.
 However, the faculties denied the charge. “After being selected for M Phil, most students never show up at the campus. They prefer contractual appointment in colleges or work as Rehbar-e-Taleem in schools or even take up any other private teaching job,” says Head Department Sociology and Social Work, Dr Anisa Shafi. Besides, she said, after their post-graduation, the candidates neglected NET and SLET examinations and concentrated more on jobs. She said PG marks had nothing to do with selection at PSC level. “The PG marks are not eligibility criteria for the lectureship,” she said.
 The Dean Students Welfare, Dr Neelofer Khan, said the issue should not be generalized. “I had a research scholar who completed M Phil in 13 months only,” she said, adding others preferred jobs over research which was their own fault.
 Prof Muhammad Aslam said that “The University stopped direct admission for Ph D after it found that quality of students admitted was very poor,” Prof Muhammad Aslam said, adding that in 2004-2005, however, the English Department had admitted eight students for Ph D and all of them had got their degrees. He said the department had awarded dissertations to three candidates selected by the PSC recently.
 However, PSC sources said though eligibility criterion was NET, SLET, M Phil and Ph D, in the lecturers’ selection, the marks obtained at the PG level definitely counted. The PSC issues the list for interview in accordance with the merit secured at PG level.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 IST