NSUI State President Writes to Education Minister for Reservation of PhD Seats for Islanders

Tarun Karthick

Port Blair, 20 September 2021

NSUI State President, Mr. M.A Sajid on Monday wrote a letter to Hon’ble Education Minister of India, Mr. Dharmendra Pradhan seeking reservation of one seat for PhD aspirants of Andaman & Nicobar Islands in all specialisations at the Central Universities of India.

In his letter, Mr. Sajid stated that there are no universities or colleges in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which offers PhD courses in full-time mode and the students from Andaman and Nicobar Islands completely rely on mainland institutions for quality higher education.

He further stated that, In developing UT’s like Andaman & Nicobar Islands, where there is a gap in the higher-education sector, there is also a need for an increase in PhDs both in academia and in industries centred on research and innovation.

He also mentioned that qualifying University Entrance Exam and securing a seat for PhD courses at the Central Universities is a tough proposition for the Island’s graduates considering the educational backwardness of the Islands. Hence, he requested the Hon’ble Education Minister to provide a reservation of one seat for the students of the Islands in each specialisation.