Overseas PhDs in UNL row

A leading Indian academic has complained to the British High Commission about the treatment of three overseas PhD students whose research programmes were thrown into chaos when their supervisor lost his job at the University of North London.

Manik Pandey, deputy director of the Defence Materials Research Laboratory, in Hyderabad - one of the Indian government's top science establishments - wrote to the British Council Division of the British High Commission in New Delhi last month on behalf of the three students at the laboratory. Dr Pandey said: "Recent happenings at UNL have shattered our plans and dreams." He asked the council to intervene with UNL.

The British Council in London says it cannot comment until it receives Dr Pandey's complaint. But a spokesman said: "India became a part of the council's Education Counselling Service this year and negative experiences are treated very seriously."

The service was set up in 1984 and has a role investigating complainsts by overseas students. The council says that positive images are vital given that international training and education is worth an estimated Pounds 7 billion to the United Kingdom economy.

Dr Pandey's letter in August, followed the university's decision, in March this year, not to offer a full contract to director of research David Taplin. Professor Taplin, who had been appointed a year earlier for a year's probation, intended to bring the three Indians and one Irish student, with him. Professor Taplin was previously head of the school of manufacturing materials and mechanical engineering at Plymouth University.

Professor Taplin, who was told by UNL that he had failed to meet certain targets, claims his dismissal was the result of a "clash of culture" relating to research management. He is suing the university for alleged breach of contract and has issued a writ in the High Court.

Dr Pandey became involved when students D. Satyanarayana, S. Srinivas and R. Singh were told by UNL in June that they could not continue their research there because, following Professor Taplin's departure, the institution lacked academics with the expertise necessary to supervise them.

Confusion surrounds the students' registration at the university. Their part-time programmes of study into advanced materials were approved by Professor Taplin but they did not enrol. This has led the university to claim that it has no legal obligation to them.

A letter dated June 24 from UNL's personnnel services director, Lyn Link, to Dr Pandey said: "None of the above named students are legally registered with the university." A similar letter was sent to the Irish student dated June 25.

Yet The THES has seen a letter sent to the Irish student in November 1995, from Kevin McCarthy, secretary to the research degrees committee, which said: "The university's research degrees committee has approved your registration for the above degree with effect from 1 October 1995."

No fees have been paid. Professor Taplin waived them. The university says he was not authorised to do so.

A UNL spokesman said: "The students' programmes of work were registered by Professor Taplin but they have never enrolled and therefore our advice is that there is no contract between us and them. Having said that we are doing everything possible to help."

UNL is to send a delegation to Hyderabad this month to try and resolve the situation.