Over 900 teachers have signed petition; They claim proposed B.A./B.Sc. Mathematics syllabus dilutes core subjects, includes errors and irrelevant courses
More than 900 mathematicians, researchers, and students have petitioned the University Grants Commission (UGC) to withdraw its draft undergraduate Mathematics curriculum for 2025. The signatories include M.S. Raghunathan (Centre for Excellence in Basic Sciences), Shrikrishna G. Dani (UM-DAE), Rajendra Bhatia (Ashoka University), Sujatha Ramdorai (University of British Columbia), and faculty from IISc, IITs, ISI, and TIFR, calling the draft “riddled with grave defects.”
The petition states that essential subjects such as real analysis, algebra, and linear algebra are inadequately covered, while obsolete topics like Analytical Geometry and Mechanics take up critical space. Applied areas such as programming, numerical methods, statistics, machine learning, and AI, are treated superficially and without the practical or application-based approach required in modern learning.
It also flagged “startling errors,” including references to textbooks that do not exist, and criticised electives such as Mathematics in Music and Mathematics in Meditation as unsuitable for undergraduate study. Some electives, the signatories note, demand advanced knowledge like Fourier analysis and Markov chains while claiming to require only “class 10 mathematics,” making them unrealistic for undergraduates.
According to the petitioners, the flaws are particularly serious since students completing the four-year programme would be eligible for NET and Ph.D. pathways, yet the draft leaves them unprepared even for an M.Sc. or industry-level employment.
“The proposed curriculum does not even prepare a student for an M.Sc., let alone a Ph.D. or a job in industry,” the petition warns, urging UGC to constitute a new expert panel to redraft the syllabus.
“A nation with a long tradition of excellence in mathematics deserves a much better undergraduate curriculum,” the petitioners added.
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Abhay Anand is an experienced education journalist with over 15 years in print and digital media. Currently serving as Manager- Editorial at Shiksha.com, he specializes in higher education policy, student mobility,
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