From BOB WARD
The news that only the Agricultural and Food Research Council among
the five research councils is ensuring that at least 85 per cent of research
students complete their PhDs within five years (In Brief, 13 February) highlights
a fundamental flaw in postgraduate training in this country.
Research studentships provide postgraduates with money for three years
of study. After the expiry of funding, the need to obtain employment usually
takes priority over the completion of a thesis. What is being neglected
under the present system is the role of the research student’s supervisor
as a manager who should monitor the student’s progress, provide guidance
and help to identify and solve problems at an early stage before they cause
serious damage to the student’s research.
It is hardly surprising that, without any formal training in management
skills, many supervisors do not properly fulfil their management responsibilities.
All too often a postgraduate is left to struggle for three years before
their department or research council makes any real attempt to find out
whether they can complete their project on time.
Bob Ward Manchester
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