After the termination of Rajan Lakule’s appointment as principal of JJ School of Architecture last month, the difficulty faced by city students’ in acquiring a PhD degree in architecture has been highlighted again.
Lakule, appointed by the University of Mumbai as principal of the institution, got the job by producing a fake PhD certificate. However, the reality is that there is probably no qualified doctorate professor in the city, as there aren’t enough guides.
There are 11 architecture colleges in the city, and none has a principal on board. Most run with an in-charge principal who must simultaneously handle professorial duties.
Subhash Karekar, the in-charge principal at IES College of architecture and now a professor at Rizvi College, said, “There are very few PhD holders — a handful in the country and maybe two or three in the state. It is difficult to get guides in architecture. There is a serious dearth of PhD holders.”
Karekar added that the current in-charge principal at JJ School of Architecture, Rajeev Mishra, was on study leave to complete his PhD at the Delhi School of Planning and Architecture. Mishra, was unavailable for comment.
A senior faculty from JJ said, “None of the (architecture) colleges in the city have a principal. There are very few guides. Even the lecturers are asked to acquire doctorate degrees for increments and promotions. This is difficult and not many pursue it.”
The CoA made a doctorate degree mandatory in 2004-05, after the University Grants Commission made it binding for teachers and principals. Mumbai University has also made a PhD compulsory, but does not provide a doctorate programme in architecture.
r_yogita@dnaindia.net
