Classrooms or Battlegrounds? Delhi University’s New Syllabus Ignites National Debate
On 25th-26th June, Delhi University’s Academic and Executive councils approved new MA political science electives, which cover topics like political and ethnic conflicts in Jammu & Kashmir, including jihad, terrorism, and sectarian violence, Religious nationalism and political violence, Identities and political transformation, and Pakistan and the world which covers Islamic radicalism and foreign policy.
Standing Committee on Academic Matters flagged these papers as ideologically driven, calling for revisions by 1st July to ensure academic neutrality and an “India-centric” driven.
Content removal and Redefinition:
- The first paper was on Pakistan, Islam, and China, but it was removed. The focus completely shifted towards the comparison between the relation of India – Pakistan and India – China.
Electives on religious Nationalism, Political Violence, Pakistan, and China were dropped and were asked to be significantly revised
Faculty warned that these changes can risk weakening students diplomatic and geopolitical understanding
In a wider syllabus change, it attempts to add or remove texts like Manusmriti, Baburnama, and poems by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In History and English curricula sparked faculty backlash. Some were withdrawn after the protest by students.
However, Critics label the changes as ideologically driven or politically motivated. Opponents caution that eliminating modules on key global players like Pakistan, China, Islam, and international conflicts erodes geopolitical literacy. Meanwhile, advocates suggest reframing these topics through an Indian perspective. It is echoing the National Education Policy’s focus on Indian knowledge systems, value-based education, and multidisciplinary approaches.
Moreover, there are voices from both of the sides:
Prof. Harendra Tiwari – According to him ” these papers are not academic in nature but ideologically driven”
Prof. Monami Sinha – His wording was “Removing Pakistan/China modules is academically short sighted crit9ical for geopolitical scholarship
Prof. Abha Dev Habib – He warns changes amount to saffronisation and an attack on academic autonomy
- Committee Insider – He argued for dropping divise topics and favoring Indian Traditions
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