[LIS-Forum] "Re: Contents of LIS-Forum digest...NET relief mooted for MPhil, PhD students"

Susmita Chakraborty susmita3chakraborty at gmail.com
Mon Apr 24 11:04:00 IST 2006


Dear All,


Please refer to LIS Forum email message titled "NET relief mooted for
MPhil, PhD students". I would like to share my personal observations
in this regard.

Firstly, let see who are qualifying UGC-NET/ SLET for Lecturership in
Library and Information Science (LIS). The Meritorious or Talented or
Hard-working LIS professionals are mostly qualifying these competitive
examinations.

On the other hand, let we see who are getting admission into MPHIL/
PHD programmes in LIS. Only few full-time MPHIL/ PHD courses are
available in India as compared to total number of MLIS/AIS/ADIS passed
outs. These full-time MPHIL/ PHD courses select student on the basis
of Merit or NET/SLET. But they belong to only a few percent (about
10%) of total MPHIL passed outs in India. Rest 90% percent students
are getting admission into MPHIL courses on the basis of ability to
pay hefty course fee (varies from Rs. 10,000/- to Rs. 36,000/-). So,
these 90% MPHIL/ PHD students are not that much Meritorious/ Talented/
Hard-working as compared to UGC NET/ SLET qualified LIS professionals,
but they have financial capacity to pay the hefty course fee. There is
also no consistency or transparency in the admission process of PhD
programmes except for the NET/SLET qualified LIS professionals.

So, if we propose to exempt of UGC NET/ SLET clause from the
eligibility criteria of college librarians/ university assistant
librarians/ documentation officers/ lecturers, probably we will
discourage Meritorious or Talented or Hard-working persons to come
into LIS profession. Instead, Library Associations, Forums can
collectively pressurize UGC to produce sufficient numbers of UGC NET/
SLET qualified candidates, or to hold GRE type examination for
admission into MPHIL and PhD programmes. Also, Library Associations
and University departments can introduce NET/SLET coaching classes to
address the shortage of qualified manpower and for the greater
benefits of the society.

Hope, the apex organizations, like, UGC, AICTE, MCI, should set the
eligibility criteria on the basis of above-mentioned facts, and not
bypassing the above-mentioned facts.

With regards

S. Chakraborty
Kolkata




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