The focus on Indian knowledge systems in the UGC’s proposed mathematics curriculum is a repetition of school-level content and better suited to disciplines such as astronomy and religious studies.
While ancient Indian mathematical concepts deserve scholarly attention and cultural recognition, they should not substitute core competencies, especially in the age of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Photo by Antone Dautry/Unsplash
The focus on Indian knowledge systems in the UGC’s proposed mathematics curriculum is a repetition of school-level content and better suited to disciplines such as astronomy and religious studies.
The University Grants Commission’s draft mathematics curriculum, 2025, unveiled in August, has sparked a debate around its skewed emphasis on ancient knowledge systems over core subjects.
Designed for undergraduate and postgraduate students, the revised curriculum has been designed to align with the government’s National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. According to the policy document, the proposed curriculum reflects a “forward-thinking approach” and offers students a “robust foundation in mathematical concepts and skills”.
