References to Pakistan, China, and religious nationalism in DU’s Political Science syllabus sent back to departments for revisions

During a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the Postgraduate Curriculum Framework (PGCF), the Standing Committee on Academic Matters of Delhi University sent five political science courses pertaining to Pakistan and China back to the department, asking it to be reframed without “glorifying Pakistan” following a debate that left the members divided.

The meeting was held to discuss the restructured curriculum under the PGCF. The courses that saw intense debate are — ‘Religious Nationalism and Political Violence’, ‘Pakistan and the World’, ‘Islam and International Relations’, ‘State and Society in Pakistan’, and ‘China’s Role in the Contemporary World’.

Monami Sinha, a DU professor and member of the committee, said, “There was a short debate. A few members started flagging issues with these courses. Some of us argued that it is important to study Pakistan and China, but we were met with opposition. It was decided that the chapters would be dropped and brought back with major changes, which means reintroducing those in an unrecognisable form.”

Another member, Harendra Nath Tiwari, a member of the BJP-backed National Democratic Teachers Front (NDTF), countered Ms. Sinha, saying, “There were many courses on Pakistan and we vehemently opposed those. The proposal also included a reading that said that Kashmir should be self-ruled, which has no place in the syllabus.” With respect to the course on nationalism, he said, “The course equated Hindutva politics and RSS ideology with violence, which was wrong.”

A university official said, “The departments were asked to rework the curriculum of a few courses and send it back for review for the next meeting. They were instructed to keep it India-centric and not glorify Pakistan.”

The restructuring is in line with the reworked curriculum, which is to be implemented from the upcoming academic session in July.

Under the new framework, which comprises multiple exit and entry points, students can choose a three-year undergraduate degree with a two-year postgraduate degree, or a four-year undergraduate degree and a one-year postgraduate degree, which has led the DU administration to realign the curriculum across subjects and departments. While some of the papers have been retained, many new courses have been designed by the departments.