SFI submits memorandum to Delhi University opposing UGC draft curriculum

NEW DELHI: The Delhi University unit of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) submitted a memorandum to the vice-chancellor on Thursday, opposing the University Grants Commission's (UGC) recently-released Learning Outcomes-based Curriculum Framework (LOCF), 2025. No official response was available from the university over the matter.

According to a statement issued by the SFI, the framework, while presented as a reform to "standardise and improve" higher education, threatens the autonomy of institutions, the quality of education and the democratic fabric of universities. The students' wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) alleged that the LOCF is aligned with the BJP-RSS' agenda of "communalising, commercialising and corporatising" the education system. It claimed that the framework draws from the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and inserts the "Indian Knowledge System" across subjects in a way that promotes upper-caste Hindu traditions while sidelining diverse cultures and marginalised voices.

"The LOCF dilutes scientific rigour and rational inquiry. The framework glorifies RSS ideologues such as Savarkar, while ignoring revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose, reshaping history to fit a Hindutva narrative," said Asikul, SFI-Hansraj secretary. The students' body also criticised the framework for allegedly promoting pseudoscience by replacing evidence-based learning with "unverified claims under the garb of ancient wisdom".

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It said the reform is being "rushed", without meaningful consultation with students, teachers or experts, and called for universities to be granted the flexibility to design their curricula free from communal and religious biases. "Academic freedom, critical thinking and inclusivity must be prioritised over market-driven, ideological agendas," the SFI said.