Indian student accuses Oxford University of racial bias after being removed from PhD program in fourth year
- In Reports
- 08:59 PM, Oct 26, 2024
- Myind Staff
An Indian student, Lakshmi Balakrishnan from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, has accused Oxford University of "racial bias" and of "forcibly removing" her from a PhD program. She has reportedly initiated legal action against the prestigious institution, claiming that the English faculty did not act in good faith regarding her situation. Balakrishnan asserts that her thesis proposal on Shakespeare was accepted by the English faculty during the application process. After joining Oxford University in 2018 to pursue her PhD, she was unexpectedly removed from the program in her fourth year and transferred to the master's level.
"It is actually a breach of contract because when I applied to Oxford I clearly mentioned in my application that my PhD thesis is going to be on Shakespeare. The scope of my PhD thesis has continued to remain the same since the time of my application to Oxford and therefore I believe that this constitutes a fundamental breach of contract when the university failed my PhD exam," she said to ANI.
"They forcibly removed me from the PhD program and moved me to a master's level course without my consent," Balakrishnan told the BBC,” adding, “I feel a sense of betrayal and I feel like I have been let down by an institution that I held in high regard.”
Balakrishnan already has two masters to her name and has spent nearly £100,000 while pursuing her PhD. “I already have two master's degrees from India and I paid £100,000 at Oxford to get my PhD, not another master's course,” she told the BBC. According to the BBC, two separate assessors failed her, stating that her research topic "did not have scope for PhD level." In response to this, the university confirmed that the appeals process regarding her case had concluded.
"I believe that the university’s strategy is to force me to wade through endless appeals and complaints procedures in the hope that I will eventually give up and go,” she told the outlet.
The Queen's College, where Balakrishnan studied, reached out to Oxford University to express concern about her treatment, as reported by the BBC. The statement highlighted that her work did not have any "serious issues," despite her failing the two assessments. It further emphasised that her research had potential and warranted a PhD.
"I think race was certainly a motivating factor behind the professor targeting me in that manner," she told ANI. There is a “deep bias and discrimination against Indian students," she added.
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