There is opposition brewing among a section of academics to the University Grant Commission’s (UGC) new teacher training programme -- Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Programme (MMTTP) -- launched in the name of Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, freedom fighter, educationist, founder of Banaras Hindu University and Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha.
Earlier this month, the UGC released a brochure on MMTTP, according to which, among eight themes that have been identified for the teachers training programme under “Holistic Education” are study of Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures, the teaching-learning system of Gurukula, Guru-Shishya parampara and so on. Among the slew of subjects that are classified as “Indian Knowledge System”, a trainee studies topics such as “Introduction to the concepts of non-translatables (Example: Dharma, punya, aatma, karma, yagna, shakti, varna, jaati, moksha, loka, daana, itihaasa, puraana etc.)“
“The outcome of the capacity-building training will be the metamorphosis of higher education in terms of Indian values, teaching, research, publication, patents, and institutional development,” says the brochure of the training programme, emphasising that it will be in alignment with the recommendations of National Education Policy (NEP-2020). “Teachers and learners will acquire the concept of the Indian Knowledge System and apply it in real life for the advancement and creation of knowledge,” says the UGC, adding that the target is 15 lakh faculty members over the period of three years.
Centres across India
The UGC has also decided to establish 111 Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centres (MMTTCs) across the country and five of them will be in Karnataka. They will be at Regional Institute of Education at Mysuru, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) at Bengaluru, University of Mysore, Bangalore University and Karnatak University, Dharwad.
A sections of educationists have opposed MMTTP: While some have questioned the content, others have asked why NEP-based training is taking place when Karnataka is set to introduce its own policy, setting aside NEP.
Speaking to The Hindu, B. Sripada Bhatt, an educationist, contended that NEP has the agenda of “advocating the ideology of the RSS” with little focus on the aspirations of the deprived classes for modern education, of the need to foster the ideals of the Constitution, scientific temperament and rationality. “Now they have released a document called MMTTP which is also going to impose Brahminical ideas on degree colleges faculty members,” he alleged.
Wither state policy?
The Vice Chancellor of a State university, who wished to be anonymous, said, “Despite the State government’s announcement of withdrawal of NEP in Karnataka, there has been no progress in the formation of a separate committee for the State Education Policy. Amidst all these developments, the UGC is ordering various programmes and going to implement many projects under NEP. The MMTTP is the latest development. It has created a lot of confusion for the VCs, faculty members and students. We are demanding clarifications and directions in this regard from the State government.”
