On April 2, Prof. Dr Amber Habib posted a series of Facebook posts alleging that the University Grants Commission (UGC) has plagiarised content from the websites of at least two different foreign universities in its recently released draft curriculum for the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUGP). Several paragraphs and descriptions of course requirements in the UGC document were pointed out to be identical to similar sections on the websites of the University of Michigan and the University of Arizona. This has raised serious questions over the functioning of the top regulatory body of the universities in the country and its recently appointed chairperson. Indie Journal tried to connect with Chairman M Jagdesh Kumar, but did not receive any response.

The UGC on Thursday released a draft curriculum framework for the FYUGP that will be implemented in all higher education institutions from the academic session 2022-23. Under the umbrella of the National Education Policy (NEP), the framework includes several new guidelines and structures for courses with multiple entry and exit points. However, while UGC has a strict set of regulations against plagiarism by teachers and students, its own document has suffered picking up of identical content from two foreign universities at least.

While UGC has a strict set of regulations against plagiarism by teachers and students, its own document has suffered picking up of identical content from two foreign universities at least.

In a report by the Hindu, UGC’s Prof. Rajnish Jain has been quoted admitting that there may have been some lapses and that this is a serious issue. 

The Democratic Teachers’ Front, a Delhi University faculty union, analysed the draft also submitted its feedback raising serious plagiarism allegations. “It is indeed shocking that the UGC Draft Curriculum Framework and Credit System for the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUP) stacks plagiarised phrases and sentences as motivation for different kinds of courses to be offered under FYUP,” the DTF said.

Indie Journal verified the plagiarism allegations made by the user and found them to be valid. Here is a list of paragraphs from the UGC framework along with their identical paragraphs from the websites of other universities, as posted on Facebook by Habib.

_{Comparison of content in the UGC framework and on the University of Michigan website}

1. UGC draft curriculum: "The courses relating to these areas of learning aim at instilling an understanding and an appreciation of all main areas of learning. Though students are not required to master all areas in detail, they are expected to develop a coherent view of essential concepts, structures, and intellectual methods that characterise each of these areas of learning."

University of Michigan Area Distribution Requirement: "LSA seeks to instill an understanding and an appreciation of all major areas of learning. Students are not expected to master all areas in detail, but they should develop a coherent view of essential concepts, structures, and intellectual methods that typify these disciplines."

2. UGC Draft Curriculum: "The courses relating to Natural Sciences will focus on the development of an understanding of the natural world through application of the scientific method characterised by observation, experimentation, and the formulation, testing and establishment of hypotheses about natural phenomena."

University of Michigan: "Natural Science (NS) courses focus on the understanding of our natural world through application of the scientific method, which emphasizes observation, experimentation, formation of testable hypotheses about natural phenomena, and testing of those hypotheses."

3. UGC Draft Curriculum: "Students will be introduced to the use of qualitative methods, such as ethnography, oral history, and descriptive analysis of archival materials and artifacts. They will also be introduced to the use of quantitative tools to collect and analyze data associated with social phenomena, and formulation of testable hypotheses about social phenomena."

University of Michigan: "Social scientists often use qualitative methods, such as ethnography, oral history, and descriptive analysis of archival materials and artifacts. They also use quantitative tools grounded in the scientific method to collect and analyze data, and form testable hypotheses about social phenomena."

4. UGC Draft Curriculum: "Interdisciplinary courses will equip students with the capabilities to identify connections between areas of knowledge and the method of inquiry. The main thrust of interdisciplinary courses will be to promote critical thinking, team-based intellectual activities, and the analytic skills that characterise different disciplinary areas of study."

University of Michigan: "Interdisciplinary work is primarily concerned with crossings and connections between areas of knowledge, inquiry, and method. ID courses emphasise critical thinking, team-based intellectual work, and the analytic skills characteristic of each discipline."

5. UGC Draft Curriculum: "Courses relating to Mathematical and Computational Thinking and Analysis would focus primarily on the mathematical and statistical tools used to support the study of natural and social sciences, including subject areas such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, economics, the environment, geological sciences, physics, and sociology etc. These courses would focus on the methodology used to analyse quantitative information to make decisions, judgments, and predictions, including defining a problem by means of numerical or geometrical representations of real-world phenomena, determining how to solve it, deducing inferences, formulating alternatives, and predicting cause and effect relationships."

University of Michigan: "Mathematical and Symbolic Analysis (MSA) courses focus primarily on the mathematical and statistical tools used to support the study of the natural and social sciences. Rather than mathematical manipulation or computation, these courses focus on the methodology used to analyze quantitative information to make decisions, judgments and predictions. This involves defining a problem by means of numerical or geometrical representations of real-world phenomena, determining how to solve it, deducing consequences, formulating alternatives, and predicting outcomes."

6. UGC Draft Curriculum: "Creative expression courses will include hands-on activities that allow students to express their creativity through a wide range of arts, including through playing a musical instrument, composing music, or arranging music and using many different mediums, including ceramics, metalworking, paper and textiles, woodworking, and glass."

University of Michigan: "Creative Expression (CE) courses entail hands-on activities that allow students to express their creativity through a wide range of arts....  CE courses teach students how to apply the theory not only on paper but through playing an instrument, creating sound, composing music, or arranging music. CE courses may address many different mediums, including the performing arts, fine arts, plastic and visual arts, architecture, ceramics, metalworking, paper and textiles, woodworking, and glass."

7. UGC Draft Curriculum: "These courses generally would focus on foundational theories, concepts, perspectives, principles, methods, and procedures of critical thinking in order to provide a broad basis for taking up more advanced courses. These courses seek to equip students with the general education needed for advanced study, to expose students to the breadth of different fields of study; provide a foundation for specialized higher-level coursework; acquaint students with the breadth of (inter) disciplinary fields in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, and to the historical and contemporary assumptions and practices of vocational or professional fields"

University of Arizona: "Lower-division courses generally focus on foundational theories, concepts, perspectives, principles, methods, and procedures of critical thinking in order to provide a broad basis for more advanced courses. The primary intent of lower-division coursework is to equip students with the general education needed for advanced study, to expose students to the breadth of different fields of study, and to provide a foundation for specialized upper-division coursework in professional fields. Such courses have one or more of the following four purposes: To acquaint students with the breadth of (inter) disciplinary fields in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, and to the historical and contemporary assumptions and practices of professional fields."

This poses questions about whether due diligence has been paid over the design of the courses that will define the curriculum of the country’s higher education institutes.

The paragraphs that are identical to the ones from the websites of foreign universities are about the course descriptions and requirements. While this is just a guiding outline, this poses questions about whether due diligence has been paid over the design of the courses that will define the curriculum of the country’s higher education institutes.

Prof. Jain further says (as per the Hindu report), “We have referred it (framework) back to the expert committee and asked them to examine it and look into the problems raised and get back as soon as possible. This is only a draft, so they will make changes as required.”

The plagiarism allegations come barely within two months of Kumar’s appointment as the UGC Chairman. His tenure as the Vice-Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where he was posted earlier, was a tumultuous and controversial one, which had led to several experts and educationists raising doubts about his appointment to the UGC by several.