Indian PhD student moves into master’s course at Oxford

New Delhi:

An Indian PhD student has accused Oxford University of transferring her to a master’s course against her will, describing the experience as a “betrayal”.

Lakshmi Balakrishnan, who hails from Tamil Nadu, invested around £100,000 (about Rs 1.09 crore) towards her education and living expenses at the institute, where she aims to pursue a doctorate in English literature, BBC reports.

Ms Balakrishnan said the English faculty “did not act in good faith” after initially accepting her thesis proposal during the application stage and her first year. He claimed that later, the faculty rejected his research idea in the fourth year.

“They forcibly removed me from the PhD program and transferred me to a postgraduate level course without my consent. I feel a sense of betrayal and that I have been let down by an institution I respected so much. “I already have two master’s degrees from India and I paid £100,000 at Oxford to get my PhD, not for any other master’s course,” the BBC quoted Balakrishnan as saying.

Lakshmi Balakrishnan, who was raised in South India by her father after losing her mother at an early age, said she was the first member of her family to study abroad, overcoming significant challenges to get into Oxford. “I come from a disadvantaged background, I have sacrificed a lot to come and study at Oxford,” he said.

During her fourth year, Ms Balakrishnan underwent an assessment where two different assessors deemed her Shakespeare research insufficient for PhD level study. She protested the faculty’s decision and entered the appeals process but reported that her efforts were unsuccessful. She claimed, “I believe the university’s strategy is to force me to go through endless appeals and grievance processes in the hopes that I will eventually give up and go away.”

The appeal process has now ended, with the University of Oxford stating that, “To receive confirmation of status, progress must demonstrate a substantial likelihood of successful completion of the doctoral thesis.”

Queens College, where Ms Balakrishnan was enrolled, has expressed concerns regarding her treatment. The college noted that although she failed two assessments, no serious concerns were highlighted in her term report. Additionally, two Shakespeare scholars have supported his research, saying it has PhD potential, the BBC reports.

Despite these endorsements, the Office of Independent Adjudication (OIA) supported the university’s stance.