A. Karunanandan
Secretary, Dravidian Historical Research Centre, Chennai
The “Learning Outcomes based Curriculum Frame Work (LOCF) for B.A. History-Undergraduate Programme 2021” issued by the UGC, is to be viewed something like a Trojan Horse, and if the academics and the State Government turn a Nelson’s Eye to this UGC document, it may grievously result in the loss of academic autonomy of the Universities and in the loss of State’s rights over higher education.
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In the introductory part of the said document (P.7) we find the following statement:
“The objective of this programme is to prepare the students with a new vision to all the undergraduate courses of History. It imbibes a Learning Outcome – based Curriculum Framework (LOCF) for the all undergraduate prtogramme in History to be adopted by different universities”.
This makes the objective very clear and emphatic. It is meant for adoption (and not for consideration) by different universities. And the above mentioned objective statement renders a previous statement in the preamble, Third para in page 4 irrelevant and insignificant. That particular statement in the preamble part is given below:
“……. The curriculum under LOCF is designed, to reiterate as guiding principle only, as justice to the glorious past and vast canvas of Indian History can only be done by providing the much needed space at micro and macro levels”.
What seemed recommendatory in the ‘preamble’ becomes mandatory in the ‘Introduction’ of the UGC document. i.e. the intention of this LOCF in UG History is to be decided by the UGC, (a body of the union) which is not exclusively an academic body, but an administrative wing of the Union Government. The UGC was created by a Union legislation (1956), at a time when ‘Education’ was exclusively a State Subject. The UGC at that time was assigned only limited responsibilities such as consultation and coordination among universities of Indian States, and to offer limited grants to support the developmental activities of the universities. It could forward suggestions and recommendation to be considered, revised, and adopted by the State Governments and their universities. But in due course the UGC took upon itself more responsibilities; through the introduction of autonomous status to affiliated colleges, and through awarding ‘Deemed to be University’ status to select colleges, the UGC shifted a number of states’ colleges from the hold of the State universities and State government to the monitoring authority of the UGC, and through UGC to the authority of the Union Government. Thus the much acclaimed ‘reform’ programmes emanating from the UGC resulted not in ensuring substantive autonomy to the academics and academic institutions, but in more bureaucratisation of higher educational institutions.
The National Education Policy 2020 completes this retrograde process. The affiliation system is dismantled, universities are to become unitary institutions. All State higher education institutions including State universities are brought under the direct control and authority of Union bodies like National Higher Education Commission. The laws of the States, and of the universities are eclipsed. The Institutions, admissions of students and appointments of staff, and the administration of these universities, the academic calendar of the States’ institutions are all decided by the bureaucratic Union bodies. Now even the curriculum (and syllabus) is to be designed and enforced by the UGC. In addition the UGC vigorously propagates ‘Blended Learning’ and increasing houses for centrally sponsored ‘online’ classes.
Under these circumstances, the UGC’s LOCF for BA History assumes much significance. It becomes quite obvious that the present BJP Government is abusing the UGC to achieve its hidden political agenda. The Constitution itself has acknowledged the plural character of India and categorically stated that India shall be a Union of States. But the UGC syllabus attempts to project a homogeneous unitary India.
Extra Constitutional activities of the UGC
The University Grants Commission, has gone beyond the objectives for which it was established by a Parliamentary Act in 1956. At the time of its inception, when the education was exclusively confined to the State list, it was meant only for consultation and coordination among the universities, the overwhelming number of which were created by State legislations and funded from State revenues. Almost all higher education institutions have been statutorily affiliated to the State universities. The UGC, which was authorised to grant time sound one time grants to State universities and colleges for limited purposes, as a consultative and co-ordinating body was entitled only to formulate and forward suggestions, guidelines and recommendations, to be considered by the State Governments and Universities on matters of academic reforms and upgradation of curriculum. However the UGC systematically, unilaterally and arbitrarily, has been eroding into the autonomy of the universities and into the rights of the Indian States. It seldom consults the States and State universities; suggestions and recommendation have been replaced by instructions and orders. The UGC guidelines have become non revisable and unalterable commands. The States and State universities were deprived of their constitutional rights of modifying the UGC guidelines, to suit the prevailing conditions of the States.
Every ‘reform’ proposal from the UGC has resulted in the States’ having its rights and authority in higher education and their institutions. The introduction of ‘autonomous status’ and ‘deemed to be university status’ to States’ institutions, resulted in further and further alienation of State institutions from the State universities and from the State government. The deceptive ‘autonomy’ is no autonomy either for the academics or for the institutions. Suspiciously the States’ higher education institutions are being shifted from the control of the State to the Union Government through the UGC.
Now the UGC dictates everything, curriculum, syllabus, institutions administrative structure, appointments and admissions and even the academic calendar. The UGC’s so called reforms made universities and democratically elected State Government irrelevant and obsolete. Is India a unitary State? Does the State Governments have only the responsibility of spending on Union Governments’ schemes and does it have no authority and rights over the structure and content of education imported by the State institutions.
The National Education Policy 2020, virtually converts education, especially higher education, a Union subject by dispensing with the affiliation system the entire higher education institutions structure, is brought under direct control of the Union’s bureaucracy (UGC, Higher Education Commission). The State universities are being downgraded as unitary institutions. The NEP proposed to replace the UGC with a more bureaucratic and non granting National Higher Education Commission. Yet the gasping UGC is abused to rob the remarking rights of States.
The concerned academics of Tamil Nadu, earnestly appeal to the present Government of Tamil Nadu, to initiate adequate and appropriate measures towards the retrieval of States’ rights in the field of education, which is, technically speaking, in the Concurrent List.
All those who have concerns in education and in the rights of the constituent States of the present Union Government to deprive the States of their due rights in higher education and their attempts to distort history, thereby denying the people of different regions their identities and their past.
The UGC syllabus for UG History programme 2020 is objectionable on several grounds.
- It comes under ‘Learning Outcomes based Curriculum Frame work’ (LOCF), which means that the tertiary level learning is for all practical purposes, downgraded to school level learning, and the UGC plays the role of NCERT.
The LOCF is meant for the childhood and adolescent learners. The curriculum makers decide the outcomes of the learning through their own syllabus and leave no room for national thinking and critical analysis by the learners. For the collegiate level adult students, the learning outcomes cannot be predetermined by a political or bureaucratic agency.
The LOCF does not suit a collegiate level learning.
- Unlike the school education, where there is no statutory academic bodies to determine the curriculum and syllabi, the collegiate level higher education has statutory academic bodies to decide on curriculum and syllabus. The State universities, created by States’ legislatures, and funded from State revenues, have their own academic bodies like Boards of studies and Academic councils to decide on curriculum Frame work and detailed syllabus.
- The State universities and their affiliated institutions are now being governed and regulated by States laws and regulations. The NEP 2020 make these State laws and regulations invalid, and makes union laws mandatory on State institutions.
- Curriculum framework and syllabus making are academic responsibilities, to be decided by academic bodies like the Academic Council and Boards of Studies of the State universities. But the UGC is an administrative wing of the Union Government. It does not have either the authority or competence to assume such academic responsibilities.
- The UGC document avoids any reference to ‘syllabus’ and repeatedly mention only learning outcome Based Curriculum Frame Work (LOCP). The distinction between the curriculum and syllabus is deliberately erased. Instead it details the structure of BA History programme (The proposed programme would have 1) 14 compulsory core papers 2) Four out of Ten papers as Discipline Specific Elective courses 3) Four out of Seven General Elective Courses 4) Two out of six papers as skill Enhancement courses and 5) Two compulsory Ability Enhancement courses i.e. English and Environmental Sciences.
Though the UGC document is captioned as LOCF, more than 80 pages out of the total 100 pages are dealing with ‘Detailed Syllabus’ of various subjects along with lists of ‘suggested readings’.
Thus it becomes quite obvious that the UGC under the garb of LOCF attempts to thrust upon State institutions their own version of history, especially of India’s History.
To be continued…
