Jammu, March 23, KNT: The Department of Political Science at the University of Jammu has recommended the removal of topics related to Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Syed Ahmad Khan and Mohammad Iqbal from certain postgraduate course contents.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the Faculty/Departmental Affairs Committee (DAC) held in the office of the Head of the Department.
The development assumes significance as universities across India continue to align their academic curricula with the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, often leading to revisions in course structures and content.
The committee deliberated on issues concerning the syllabi of One-Year and Two-Year M.A. programmes in Political Science.
After discussion, the committee unanimously resolved to recommend the removal of topics concerning Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Syed Ahmad Khan and Mohammad Iqbal from the course content of PIPSTC 102 (One-Year Postgraduate Programme) and P2PSTC 302 (Two-Year Postgraduate Programme).
The recommendation has been forwarded to the Board of Studies (BOS), which is scheduled to meet on March 24 at 11:30 am in online mode to further deliberate and take a final decision on the matter.
An official associated with the department said the review process was part of broader academic restructuring in line with updated guidelines.
Reacting to the development, National Conference MLA Tanveer Sadiq criticised the move, alleging that the decision reflects external pressure rather than academic intent.
“The University Jammu move reeks of pressure, not principle. A syllabus change triggered by protests, targeting thinkers under a paper titled ‘Minorities and the Nation,’ and justified in the name of NEP 2020, this isn’t academic reform, it’s capitulation,” Sadiq said in a post on X.
He further said that attempts to curate “acceptable history” are misplaced in the digital age.
“In today’s world, where information is a click away, such attempts to curate ‘acceptable history’ are not just ill-thought, they are futile and dangerous. You don’t strengthen national integrity by erasing debate. You weaken it,” he added. [KNT]
