Bengal refuses to derecognise MPhil, clashes with UGC
Bengal will not abide by the UGC’s directive of discontinuing the MPhil degree, said Education Minister Bratya Basu recently. Instead, the state government will follow the advice of its appointed panel of experts.
This is the latest episode in the tussle between the Bengal and Central governments over various directives that the UGC has been issuing under the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020).
The minister said MPhil is significant as it serves as a bridge course between postgraduation and PhD since it teaches students research methodologies, critical thinking and academic writing.
Bengal is the third state after Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to snub the UGC over this. All three are run by parties opposed to the BJP.
The MPhil degree was derecognised from the academic year 2022-23.
Prof Manish Ratnakar Joshi, secretary, UGC told Education Times that “if any state government refuses to follow the UGC guidelines then they will be playing with students’ future as the degree will not have any value when it comes to employment”.
