Kerala rejects UGC’s draft curriculum framework, cites threat to university autonomy

Kerala has formally rejected the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) draft Learning Outcomes-Based Curriculum Framework (LOCF) for undergraduate courses, saying it compromises academic standards and erodes university autonomy.

State Higher Education and Social Justice Minister R Bindu said the decision was made after an expert panel appointed by the government reviewed the draft.

The state has conveyed its opposition in letters to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and UGC Acting Chairperson Vineet Joshi.

“The draft undermines the independence of universities by prescribing detailed syllabi, course structures, and reading lists,” the minister said, adding that Kerala views such directions as beyond the UGC’s constitutional mandate.

The move comes amid mounting pushback from academics, researchers, and student groups across India.

More than 900 scholars, including Padma awardees and Bhatnagar Prize winners, have signed petitions pointing out “serious flaws” across disciplines from science and mathematics to economics and engineering.

Experts were particularly concerned about the proposed mathematics curriculum, which they said leaves out key subjects such as real analysis, algebra, and applied mathematics, while retaining outdated portions like analytical geometry and mechanics.

Courses like Mathematics in Music were criticized for being misleading. Despite referencing concepts such as Fourier analysis and Markov chains, they were reportedly designed around only Class 10-level knowledge.

Similarly, the Mathematics for Machine Learning paper was seen as disproportionately focused on basics like sets and vector spaces, with little emphasis on actual machine learning.

The committee also flagged ideological overtones in some sections. The state government has asked the UGC to take back the draft and create a new one that maintains high academic standards, stays neutral, and protects the independence of institutions.

Urging the UGC to withdraw the draft, the state government has called for a fresh version that ensures academic rigor, neutrality, and protection of institutional autonomy.