This author must have had no idea on research and Ph.Ds. How much we people suffer mentally and physically while doing Ph.D to get genuinine solution for the problems defined?. And these people talk of Ph.D expiry date so coolly with even understanding what it is about. Let them register for Ph.D and have first hand experience of the whole hard process before suggesting some vague opinions
Mr. Ram Gopal Agarwal must be a man of standing and supposed to be from the World Bank. Writing some silly things about such people is not correct. I agree that Ph D confers a degree and gives a distinct personality for the person who has studied hard and has obtained this degree. But there is no question of renewal of this. Why call it renewal. Mr. Agarwal could have mentioned that Ph.Ds after some lapse of time, need to get updated in their subject. This keeps on happening in their profession, when they interact with other functionaries and when they attend seminars and workshops. They also have to under go training when ever necessary to update themselves. This will keep them at par with the current situation and they will be able to function smoothly. Let us call it Training and retraining for the Ph.Ds.,
It is no use people commenting on some thing when they have not done it themselves...
An idea is an idea and a starting point of so many things. While I agree that many doctoral thesis or for that mattter the published papers are nothing but an epsilon on what exists already, your suggestion would mean that we should strip the titles of Abdul kalam, Manmohan Singh, Einstein, Newton, Chanderasekhar, etc., etc. and also deprive you of your AC, fan, lights, markets and not to mention you underwear...
As the other readers have given their opinions it must be applied for everything. A PhD or a degree or any qualification is just a measurement of a person's calibre. Different job positions need people capable of sustaining different stress and knowledge levels. Its enough to prove the capability once.
Life cannot be forever passing exams!
However depending on ones profession updating of knowledge is a must.
RE:expiry Date for PhD?
by Kasivishvanathan Sundar on Jan 22, 2008 12:17 AM Permalink
The at most stupid article I have every read in my whole life. None of the contents is correct and authour doesn't even have understanding of what Ph.D. is...? I would really like rediff to hire or allow some people on the road (like rikshawalls, etc.) to give some decent articles...
Here in the US, most of the companies expect their employees to get few weeks of training to learn new technologies. Also for the Doctors to renew their licence, the state expects them to do about 30-50 hours of training each year. That is one way of keeping them to learn new things.
Expiring a PHD degree or an IAS degree may not be the solution. These people who got that degree are really capable. But what needs to be forced is that they NEED TO DO ADDITIONAL TRAINING TO RETAIN WHICH EVER POST THEY ARE so that the level of intelligence in them can be maintained.
If you suggest an exoiry for PHD , IAS etc, then it should apply to all degrees (Engineering, medicine, arts etc).
My suggestion is that if you know the BASIC , then it is not difficult to learn a bit more which is new. This can be attained by training the individual every year.
PhDs spend 4-5 years in labs doing research ... producing finest research...After that they get to the position of professor and to get continued grants, they have to write papers, proposals and what not...To be successful, a PhD guy has to struggle through .. its ok, we do that ... and at time a PhD guy would shift his/her reserach focus towards more demanding subjects .. which is a beauty of a PhD that it infuses flexibility in thinking in an individual... but this guy T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan writes what Ram Gopal Agarwal ... its nuts...Have you been in US .. I would have sued you for false propaganda and you would have a hell of time then...THINK BEFORE YOU WRITE .. USE YOUR ACTUAL BRAIN which is in you head
I think Mr. T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan, no other work! Why only PhDs...If this degree have to updated..then what about LKG, UKG, 1st Std, till 12th Std, Bachelors, masters ,etc..These are also very important...these are like ladders to get PhD degree..
