Why distance learning for PhDs won't help

Distance education can be a powerful way to enhance the “reach” of education – allowing students in remote locations access to courses, subjects or discussion fora unavailable locally. However, when distance education becomes the primary means of acquiring expertise, rather than a supplementary means of enhancing a programme, it needs careful thought.

It’s one thing to study at school or undergraduate levels through distance programmes. My mother obtained her BA(Hons) from Pune University in 1976, while raising two kids in Mumbai. Every night she would study voluminous books, making copious notes, sending and receiving material by mail. Then after a final exam in Pune she received her degree - something that was very important to her, and inspiring to me.

However, it’s quite another thing at the MPhil/PhD level, where the limitations of distance learning bring its advantages into question. Working towards a PhD is necessarily a highly interactive process, between student and advisor, peers, experts. More than half the intellectual training I obtained during my PhD came from hearing others discuss their research at lab meetings and seminars, participating in criticism and questioning, getting inputs on my work. Admittedly, technology now permits highly fruitful exchanges over electronic media. I was able to effectively monitor my students’ work using Skype, WhatsApp, and during my six-month sabbatical in Geneva last year. While these are effective in supplementing or enhancing our research, they cannot substitute for the entire PhD training.

The core of the issue is: What is PhD training and what motivates students pursue a distance-PhD? In our degree-driven culture, thousands of students chase this goal, spurred on by parents and community. They feel a PhD brings respect, and studying is a good thing, so why not “go for PhD” if at all possible. But a PhD is more than a badge acquired at the end of the road - it’s a training of the mind via a highly interactive process among peers and experts. The road travelled matters. The key question to ask when embarking on a PhD in any subject is: Will the programme/advisor you join mentor your transition into an independent expert in the field?

Distance programmes in the current education scenario in India will fall woefully short, even if they are in subjects that don’t involve laboratory experiments. Regular education in India is in critical need of quality control and revamping. Rote learning is the unfortunate norm from school to undergraduate levels. Teaching jobs don’t pay enough to attract quality teachers, nor are they provided the opportunities to acquire the skills to teach differently. This being the case throughout the education system, distance-PhD programmes should be asked how they plan to arrange competent guides/advisors for thousands of students? Will distance-students be trained well enough to compete with regular PhD holders in the job market?

In the current scenario, offering advanced degrees such as PhD under distance learning programmes is irresponsible, and exploits young students’ desire for the degree without giving them the actual training they deserve.