Stipends cut, penalties: Delhi’s Ambedkar University rolls out new PhD attendance rules

According to faculty sources aware of the matter, the notification appears to have been prompted by the recent participation of current and former AUD students in the agitation and hunger strike at Jantar Mantar.

Among those involved were Aameen, a PhD scholar from the School of Urban Studies, and Neha Bora, an AUD alumna and president of the All India Students’ Association (AISA), who sat on a 23-day hunger strike during the Cockroach Janta Party protest.

The notification has drawn criticism from scholars, who have questioned the university’s attendance requirements and their impact on research.

The Indian Express has reached out to the administration for an official response.

What the directions mandate

-Attendance and whereabouts of all PhD scholars must be recorded regularly in the prescribed register, stated the directions issued to PhD supervisors, research coordinators and programme coordinators. It is to be maintained and updated by the School or Centre.

It covers all scholars receiving fellowships including Junior Research Fellowship or Senior Research Fellowship, Ambedkar University Delhi Merit Research Fellowship (AUD MRF) etc.

-Record “of any absence, leave or extended non-availability of a scholar” to be maintained.

-Prior permission must be taken in advance for any off-campus work, with the exact dates and the reason for assignment informed ahead.

“The supervisor or programme coordinator may allow off-campus work for certain days, as per the rules, for field work, conference, seminars, workshops or for a visit to other educational or other institutions for the advancement of the research work,” it noted.

-The register will require additional verification and must be countersigned by the programme or research coordinator and the Dean or Director of the School/Centre. The register must also be kept readily available for inspection whenever required by university authorities, the notification said.

The decision followed a meeting of the University Research Degree Committee (URDC) held on July 27.

The committee comprised Vice-Chancellor Dr Anu Singh Lather, the Registrar, Dean Academic Affairs, Dean Assessment, Evaluation and Student Progression, and an external member from Indraprastha University, The Indian Express has learnt.

Scholars cry foul

Aameen linked the notification to the “participation” of AUD students in last month’s agitation.

Speaking to The Indian Express, he claimed, “… At a time when students had to be protected from state violence, their large-scale visible participation has clearly not gone well with the AUD administration.”

He also alleged that the university has neglected basic research infrastructure, including adequate workspaces, while crucial financial support had been withdrawn by scrapping the PhD fee waiver, discontinuing the AUD MRF fellowship and repeatedly denying travel grants.

Another PhD scholar, who has been enrolled at AUD since 2023, said on condition of anonymity, “The majority of us are facing financial issues. We don’t have enough accommodation facilities or adequate scholar rooms on campus. So, if any of us is researching from outside the city, will we have to come all the way to campus to meet the new attendance requirements? How is this fair? How are we supposed to have the money for this?”

AISA has demanded that the notification be withdrawn. In a statement Thursday, it said, “Genuine scholarship requires intellectual freedom and access to off-campus academic spaces, which is the field for a PhD scholar, rather than mere physical presence inside campus.”

Stating that it thwarts academic freedom, the student organisation body also claimed it was “an attempt at surveillance and administrative control”.

A teacher, who did not wish to be named, claimed, “… The AUD administration is threatening to penalise students by withholding scholarships and other punitive actions. The recent notification wants strict compliance to maintain the attendance-cum-whereabouts student register.”