[Assam] Help at hand for wannabe PhDs

[Pradip Kumar Datta]

Help at hand for wannabe PhDs  
   - Assam College Teachers’ Association to compile extracts of theses          UMANAND JAISWAL                                   Guwahati, Oct. 29: It’s every PhD aspirant’s nightmare. 
           You spend months in the library, almost beginning to smell of books after having read every bit of printed matter that is available on the topic of your research. And then, when the “magnum opus” is almost ready, you come across a tattered publication hidden in that unreachable corner of your university library, screaming the same title as yours. 
           Fortunately, academicians in Assam will now find it a little easier to locate topics that have already been researched and also pick a tip or two from earlier works.
           The Assam College Teachers’ Association has embarked on a project to collect and publish extracts from doctoral theses with the objective of helping aspiring scholars.
           At present, work is on to compile a three-part research journal, each containing extracts of 100 theses papers from all three streams — arts, science and commerce.
           A six-member committee, headed by Sunil Sharma of Barama College, is busy putting together the extracts for the first volume of the journal, which is likely to be released during the association’s annual conference, to be held at Silapathar in January. 
           “The project is a humble effort of the association to contribute meaningfully to the academic development of the state as well as aid academically-oriented youths,” said Prasad Gogoi, president of the teachers’ association. 
           In a state where hunting for data is a painful exercise, this journal, the association feels, will lessen the burden of aspiring scholars. 
           With six government colleges, 190 deficit colleges, 37 ad hoc colleges and 125 venture colleges, not to mention of the five universities spread across the state, the association hopes that the journal would generate considerable interest. “The whole idea is to share knowledge. Aspiring scholars can get in touch with the authors of the theses to know more on the subject since we will be publishing the name and contact address and numbers of the scholars we will shortlist. The three-part journal is the first phase of the project,” he said. 
                     The ambitious project is being funded by the Oil India Limited. 
           “We had submitted a proposal to the OIL and they sanctioned the fund. Such encouragement is important for projects like these to materialise,” said Apurba Kumar Das, the secretary of the association. 
           The Rs 10-lakh project, incidentally, coincides with the University Grants Commission making either an MPhil or a PhD an important criteria for a teaching job in any college and university. 
           Around 25 to 30 PhD theses are submitted each year. 
           “We are sure the journal will at least give aspiring scholars an idea about how to proceed. It will make their life a little easier,” Das said.
 DATA POOL
 The project
 Collection and publication of extracts from doctoral theses from all three streams — arts, science and commerce 
 The objective
  To help scholars get    an idea of the kind of    work that has been done previously and on ways    to proceed with their    research
 The financier 
  Oil India Ltd will    provide Rs 10 lakh for    the project
        
 
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