Kerala to object to UGC’s draft curricula, alleges Hindutva bias

The Kerala government will formally submit its objections to the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) draft Learning Outcomes-based Curriculum Framework (LOCF), which it views as a “deliberate attempt to impose Hindutva ideology on students”.

The Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) has been entrusted with framing the State’s response. The Executive Body of the government’s policy think-tank will convene on Tuesday (August 26, 2025) to review the draft model curriculum and establish a committee for a comprehensive evaluation, said council vice-chairperson Rajan Gurukkal.

The UGC recently published the draft curricula for Anthropology, Chemistry, Commerce, Economics, Geology, Home Science, Mathematics, Physical Education and Political Science, and invited public feedback.

However, the proposals for the nine undergraduate subjects have sparked widespread criticism from sections of the academic community. The inclusion of one of Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar’s books in the suggested reading list for the B.A. Political Science elective course on ‘Freedom Movement in India’, among others, has also drawn strong condemnation.

Kerala’s Higher Education Minister R. Bindu said a preliminary review of the drafts found it to be “regressive, unscientific, and aligned with the ideological interests of the Sangh Parivar.”

She expressed concern that although the UGC and the Centre repeatedly emphasise the promotion of multidisciplinary and holistic education, the proposed curriculum contradicts these goals.

“The draft curricula reject the ideas of academic flexibility, ignore the importance of language studies, and introduce ideologically charged content,” she said.

Citing an example, the Minister pointed to suggestions in the curriculum to analyse concepts such as ‘Ram Rajya’ in the context of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks.

She was also critical of the recommendations to include ancient texts such the Upanishads, Mahabharata and Arthashastra as sources for sustainable development studies, and the proposal to include biographies of ideologues such as Deendayal Upadhyaya and Savarkar as elective papers.

“These inclusions are not only ideologically biased, but also threaten to erode academic freedom and the quality of higher education. Such an agenda could lead to intolerance and unrest in our academic institutions,” Dr. Bindu said.