PhD Reforms Concerns Over Quality

Scholars think the craft of research will suffer if a PhD programme is made accessible directly after a bachelor’s degree

- Sneha Bhura

Doctoral Researchers have never had it easy. A 2021 study by the Central University of Kerala’s department of public health and community medicine reaffirms the grim realities of a PhD scholar’s life where they often wonder: “Why am I doing this?”

In the analysis on depressive disorders among doctoral students— published in the Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education—240 PhD students, with one-half from the sciences, were interviewed to understand their mental health status. “Financial hardship, disagreement between student-supervisor, compromised students’ support services and an uncertain job market” were some of the crucial reasons reported for a range of depressive disorders. Students from economically weaker sections, earning less than ₹20,000 a month in their PhD years, veered the most towards moderately severe and severe depressive disorders, the study noted.

Why is it so hard to be a doctoral scholar in India? Among other reasons, the PhD years in India typically cover ages 25 to 32—a time to start earning an income that covers rent and food. Or when one can begin to feel somewhat financially independent, irrespective of inclinations to study or work.