Pune University Comes Out With Anonymous Complaints Mechanism Against PhD Guides After Bribery Row
Pune, 2nd April 2024: In a proactive move to address concerns of exploitation and harassment faced by research candidates, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) has established a mechanism for lodging complaints against PhD guides. The university has launched a dedicated website, the ‘PhD Tracking System,’ aimed at enhancing the PhD process and ensuring accountability. Research candidates now have the opportunity to register complaints anonymously if they experience any form of harassment or exploitation by their mentors.
The initiative comes in the wake of recent revelations involving a guiding professor who was found guilty of accepting bribes to manipulate PhD thesis submissions and approvals. Despite such incidents, the SPPU has noted a reluctance among research candidates to come forward and report instances of mentor exploitation, fearing repercussions on their academic careers.
Dr Parag Kalkar, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of SPPU, emphasized the importance of addressing these concerns and enhancing the PhD process to foster a conducive academic environment. The newly established website will provide a direct channel for research candidates to lodge complaints, with provisions for confidentiality to protect the identities of complainants.
To further improve the PhD process, SPPU has surveyed research candidates to gather feedback and insights. The responses from this survey will be carefully analyzed, and necessary enhancements will be implemented on the website to streamline the PhD journey and safeguard the rights of research candidates.
