Viva voce for PhD, MPhil courses will bring students on same

Amid opposition to its move to select PhD and MPhil candidates solely on the basis of an interview, Delhi University today said it would just be an interaction to bring all students on the same platform.
Till last year, the varsity gave 85 per cent weightage to the written test and 15 per cent to the interview.
"It will be better to call it an interaction, where a student and the faculty will talk about each other's requirements," Maharaj K Pandir, chairperson of the Standing Committee on Admissions, said.
The university had yesterday announced that PhD aspirants with a fellowship from UGC/CSIR/NET or a central government institute need not take the entrance exam, and those who do not have it will have to. However, they are all required to appear for interview.

"Students who do not have a fellowship will take the entrance exam and then everyone will be on the same platform when they will appear for viva voce," Pandit told.
Viva voce interaction will not leave any scope for discrimination, he said.

The committee chief said the reservation policy will be followed strictly.
Meanwhile, a section of students condemned the varsity's move to "make the written examination a mere qualifier".
"It is a move which was ratified neither in academic council nor in executive council of the university," Vikas Bhadauria, president of Delhi unit of Students Federation of India, said in a statement.

It will affect a number of students from marginalised sections, he added.