Thiruvananthapuram: The Save University Campaign Committee has called for rigorous scrutiny before Kerala’s universities recognize or grant equivalence to PhD degrees awarded by institutions outside the state, particularly private universities.Committee chairperson R S Sasikumar raised the demand in a representation submitted to Kerala State Higher Education Council vice-chairman Prof A Achuthsankar.The committee said several foreign and out-of-state degrees were being recognized without adequate verification, citing the general practice of accepting degrees awarded by UGC-recognized universities.It alleged that some private universities outside Kerala did not have recognized research guides of their own. Yet, such universities were awarding PhDs based on theses supervised and approved by research guides affiliated with other universities or institutions, the committee alleged.Automatic recognition of such degrees could undermine academic standards and the credibility of Kerala’s higher education sector, it warned.The committee urged the council to formulate stringent norms for recognizing research degrees awarded by universities outside Kerala. Before granting recognition or equivalence, subject experts should assess the academic quality of the thesis and verify the credibility of the degree-awarding institution, it said. It also sought a scrutiny mechanism under the council’s leadership to safeguard academic standards.
