The Haryana Higher Education Department is keeping an eye on lecturers in government and government-aided colleges who have done their PhD from private universities of other states.
Several lecturers complete their PhD courses from universities in other states after failing to get registered in the state universities. Therefore, the department has issued a letter to inquire the PDH degree of the lecturers who had completed their degree from private universities of Rajasthan like Jagdish Parsad Jabharmal Tibrewala University, Singhania University, Shreedhar University (all in Jhunjhunu District), Sunrise University, Alwar and OPJS University, Churu.
A committee was formed by the department to fix the criteria for verification of degrees issued by the above-mentioned universities of Rajasthan.
Following a meeting, the criteria fixed by the committee included verification of date of registration fees, duration of course work, date of approval of synopsis by the departmental research committee of university along with name, place of posting and subject of the guide pertaining to PhD.
The criteria of PHD degree will also include the verification of details of publication of research papers while pursuing the degree, in UGC refereed listed journals/peer reviewed journals, evaluation report of PhD thesis by two external examiners, date of PHD viva voce conducted and date or copy of notification for award of PHD degree.
All principals of government colleges and government-aided colleges in the state are directed to verify the degree of PhD as per above criteria from the university concerned and asked to submit all verification report signed by the registrar of the university or by the authorised official appointed or nominated for the purpose of verification by the vice chancellor of university.
They are also directed to verify the PhD degree of all regular and extension lecturers in government and government-aided colleges as per criteria referred above who have attained or awarded PhD degree from other private universities of India.
As many as 24 universities had been declared as fake by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2021 and besides, two more were found in violation of norms. Uttar Pradesh had the highest number (eight) of fake universities. Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Maharashtra have one fake university each.