Content Curator
The Department of Philosophy at Delhi University disagreed with the Standing Committee on Academic Matters' recommendation to eliminate an elective course on B. R. Ambedkar's philosophy
New Delhi: The Department of Philosophy at Delhi University has vehemently disagreed with the Standing Committee on Academic Matters' recommendation to eliminate an elective course on B. R. Ambedkar's philosophy from an undergraduate programme and has asked Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh to keep the course.
According to sources, the department's postgraduate and undergraduate curriculum committee met on May 12, 2023, and considered the proposal to remove the subject from the BA Programme (Philosophy), which was made for the first time on May 8, 2023. On the premise that "Ambedkar is an indigenous thinker representative of the social aspirations of a majority of people in the country" and that "research on Ambedkar is on the rise," the department's curriculum committee expressed "strong reservation" about the plan.
The recommendation from the Standing Committee was made as part of the ongoing curriculum revision based on the National Education Policy 2020. The Academic Council, the highest authority on academic affairs, is the body that makes the final decision, according to a member of the Standing Committee, and no amendments have yet been made.
The Ambedkar course is not being dropped, and this request was not made by the committee, according to Standing Committee Chair and Dean of Colleges Balram Pani. It was suggested that new and old courses should be combined, and that they should be developed so that they will be appealing to students and that they will be adopted in many colleges. We suggested adding the philosophies of philosophers from various backgrounds.
However, according to reports, there was a proposal to discontinue the course. Amitava Chakraborty, dean of the faculty of arts, who was present at the meeting on May 8, 2023, stated, "The House made a number of changes to the philosophy courses that were given to it. One idea was to link the topics covered in the course "Philosophy of B R Ambedkar" with those covered in courses on other Indian philosophers who represented various perspectives and schools of thought, giving students the freedom to select the philosopher they want to study.
A philosophy professor who wished to remain unnamed stated, "The 'Philosophy of Ambedkar' is not an obligatory subject; it is an elective. Students have the option of pursuing it or not. Why other thinkers' articles are being offered as a supplement under this new syllabus is unclear. Nothing has been dropped, according to Shriprakash Singh, director of the DU South Campus and a member of the Standing Committee.
The final decision will be made by the Academic Council at the next meeting of the Standing Committee, which is set for Tuesday. The committee's collective advice on certain situations is always given to the department.
On Monday, a subcommittee formed by the Standing Committee to discuss the syllabus revision suggested that the paper on Ambedkar's philosophy be retained and that a few other electives of other thinkers can be added for the students to choose from, in what is being seen as a climbdown following the philosophy department's opposition.
According to sources, the new curriculum will also include papers on other philosophical giants such as Swami Vivekananda, Periyar, and Mahatma Gandhi. On Tuesday, these recommendations will be brought before the Standing Committee, and later, the Academic Council, for final approval. The Ambedkar philosophy course was launched in 2015 which provides details about Ambedkar's biography, significant writings, viewpoints, and method of study.
Read More:
Subscribe to Collegedunia to get the latest educational news and updates –
Comments