New Delhi: According to a latest report published in the scientific journal Nature, the number of students pursuing doctoral degrees is steadily falling across multiple countries, including Australia, Japan, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and India. Cláudia Sarrico, a project lead at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), warns that these declining numbers should serve as a “wake-up call” for nations to reform working conditions and expand career pathways.

From financial struggles, uncertain job prospects, and a shifting perception of academia. The most recent figures released by Universities Australia and the Australian Council of Graduate Research (ACGR) in January 2024 reveal an 8 per cent drop in domestic PhD enrolments from 2018 to 2023. A similar situation exists in Japan, where financial insecurity has led to a steady decline in PhD enrolments since the early 2000s. In 2023, only 15,014 domestic students enrolled in doctoral programmes, compared to 18,232 in 2003. Brazil has also faced a decline in PhD enrolments, with 2022 marking the lowest number of domestic PhD entrants in nearly a decade.

The trend........

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