Adarsh
ON August 20, 2025, the University Grants Commission (UGC) released the draft Learning Outcomes-based Curriculum Framework (LOCF) for anthropology, chemistry, commerce, economics, geography, home science, mathematics, physical education, and political science. In its public notice, the UGC stated that this draft was shaped in line with the recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The BJP and organisations affiliated with the RSS were the only ones to welcome NEP 2020. The RSS-affiliated Bharatiya Shiksha Mandal even claimed that 60 per cent of their suggestions were incorporated into NEP 2020. This draft, developed on the basis of NEP recommendations, seeks to transform 100 per cent of our syllabi according to the RSS worldview. At the time of the NEP 2020 draft itself, we had pointed out that the policy was intended to commercialise, communalise, and centralise our education system. Through this draft of the LOCF, it is clear-cut how they intend to transform and capture our education sector.
This move by the UGC is aimed at intensifying saffronisation and fostering an unscientific temper in higher education. The development of scientific temper is a directive principle enshrined in our Constitution. Article 51A(h) makes it a fundamental duty of every citizen “to develop the scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform.” Article 28(1) of the Constitution clearly prohibits religious instruction in educational institutions wholly maintained out of State funds. Education must therefore foster scientific temper and secular values. Yet, under the guise of “Ancient Wisdom and the Indian Knowledge System (IKS),” the curriculum now introduces mythological concepts into modern science, promoting pseudoscience and superstition over empirical evidence. Unscientific and mythical ancient concepts are being infiltrated into classrooms, with vedic texts and similar sources integrated into mainstream subjects.
In the name of “Bharatiya model,” ancient Indian concepts are being imposed across disciplines such as mathematics, commerce, and science. In political science, for example, the General Elective course includes Savarkar and Deen Dayal Upadhyay alongside Mahatma Gandhi. The course framework suggests that students should learn about the “revolutionary will” of Savarkar in the freedom struggle, as portrayed by Sangh Parivar narratives. However, Savarkar repeatedly wrote mercy petitions to the British Crown, such as: “I beg to remain, Sir, your obedient servant,” and, “I am ready to serve the Government in any capacity they like… Where else can the prodigal son return but to the parental doors of the Government?” He submitted more than seven such apology letters. Historically, Savarkar betrayed the freedom movement, and his role in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi is well documented.
The other figure included in the elective is Deen Dayal Upadhyay, a follower of Savarkar’s ideology, described by A G Noorani as the “merchant of hate.” Deen Dayal regarded the Muslim community as anti-national and dismissed secularism as an assault on the very soul of India. Through this LOCF, the RSS seeks to glorify its ideologues and promote the Sangh Parivar’s fabricated version of history. Notably, the course makes no space for studying true revolutionaries such as Bhagat Singh, Subhas Chandra Bose, or Chandrashekhar Azad, who made immense sacrifices in the struggle for Indian independence.
The new curriculum framework has raised concerns about the inclusion of pseudoscientific and culturally biased topics. For instance, in chemistry, the course begins with a salutation to Saraswati, even though scholars are unclear about any connection between Saraswati and chemistry. It also introduces a section on “Chemistry in Ancient India,” along with skill-enhancement courses such as food processing, bakery, and mushroom culture technology. Similar irrelevant and pseudoscientific inclusions appear in other subjects as well.
In physical education, the curriculum features topics like “Vedic Perspective of Physical Education” and “Gurukul System in Ancient Bharat.” These additions have drawn criticism regarding their accuracy and relevance in modern academic training.
In mathematics, the framework proposes sutra-based algebra, including methods like the Paravartya Yojayet Sutra for polynomial division and Kala Gaṇana (traditional Indian timekeeping). It also includes Bhaskacharya’s Lilavati and geometry from the Dhula Sutra. However, this emphasis risks sidelining global advancements such as advanced calculus and modern computational methods.
The commerce syllabus recommends teaching Indian management principles drawn from the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana, alongside modules on Bharat Bodh and Viksit Bharat. Such inclusions raise concerns about advancing a majoritarian ideological agenda while homogenising India’s diverse social fabric.
Moreover, attempts to equate vedic ideas like Parmanu (atoms) with modern atomic theories, such as Bohr’s model, risk undermining scientific rigor and encouraging pseudoscience. By prioritising unverified claims from ancient texts over empirically testable hypotheses, this approach weakens the foundation of the scientific method.
The focus on vedic techniques, “yantras,” “rangoli,” and terms like Shubh-labh and Ram Rajya also sidelines other religious and cultural traditions, promoting a biased worldview. Overall, this draft curriculum raises serious concerns about the erosion of scientific integrity and the promotion of a sectarian agenda in education.
The references in the LOCF draft syllabus also include books authored by BJP and RSS leaders, along with works by other right-wing affiliates. By legitimising these sources, the framework seeks to normalise and promote the acceptance of these ideologues – an ideological bias clearly visible in the draft itself and is evident throughout the curriculum.
The assault on science has grown sharper in recent years, as reflected in the claims propagated by Sangh supporters. They insist on replacing evidence with belief, turning myths into supposed scientific truths – for example, claiming that the birth of 100 Kauravas from one egg of Gandhari demonstrates stem cell research, that the transplant of an elephant head onto Ganesha proves the existence of plastic surgery, or that the first airplane was the Pushpak vimana. Through the LOCF, such myths are being legitimised as if they were historical fact.
The other underlying agenda of the LOCF appears to be the glorification of the vedic period. However, education during this period was not equally accessible to all. According to the Manusmriti, the social hierarchy was rigidly defined, with Brahmins at the top, followed by Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, and Ati-Shudras (Untouchables) at the bottom. Within this system, only Brahmins had the right to teach the vedas, while Shudras were not only forbidden from studying them but were also prohibited from even hearing them recited. The punishments for transgressing these rules were severe. For instance, according to Gautama, if a Shudra intentionally listened to the veda, molten lead and lac would be poured into his ears; if he uttered the veda, his tongue would be cut off; and if he mastered the veda, his body would be cut into pieces. By incorporating glorified versions of this past into the syllabus, the LOCF propagates such hierarchies.
The BJP-led union government is undermining the very foundations of education. Their attempts to capture education are not new – every time they come to power, they move to control educational institutions. This was evident during the Vajpayee era and has intensified under Modi. The recent modifications to NCERT textbooks reflect the same trend.
Education must remain free from political interference. It should encourage critical thinking, rational inquiry, and the development of scientific temper. Yet, the time allotted for public feedback on the LOCF has been extremely limited. We must resist these attempts by the UGC to enforce such reforms without proper discussion and study. The union government must act immediately to scrap the LOCF draft and NEP 2020, and instead uphold the principles of academic integrity and intellectual freedom.
