'Controversy over new counter-terrorism course was needless': JNU VC

New Delhi: The controversy over the new counter-terrorism course in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was "needless" and made without going into its academic merit, the university vice-chancellor Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar said on Wednesday, reports PTI.

Kumar was responding to emerging criticisms from a section of teachers and students over the content of the course, pointing out that the course states "jihadi terrorism" is the only form of "fundamentalist-religious terrorism".

Critics had also pointed out that the course "Counter-Terrorism, Asymmetric Conflicts and Strategies for Cooperation among Major Powers" also implies that Communist regimes in the Soviet Union and China were the sponsors of terrorism that influenced radical Islamic states.

In a statement, Kumar reasoned that the way things have unfurled in India's neighbourhood was harmful to the country's national security. An academic institution like JNU must build a set for counter-terrorism specialists, he said.

He said that the curriculum had been designed to counter terrorist activities at the global level, keeping in mind India's experiences in handling them. India's perspective needed to evolve in a balanced and objective manner. The course has the potential to build a strong narrative for the country, he said.

He further explained that India had witnessed the rise of religious fundamentalism and radicalisation through ideologies born from its neighbourhood. The course would make the students aware of these complexities and encourage them to develop effective strategies against them. The course offers sections such as the role of intelligence information, counter-terrorism cooperation among major global powers, best practices against terrorism, and major and regional efforts against it.

In 2018, the University had established its School of Engineering with a dual degree programme. Here, according to Kumar, engineering was taught to students for the first four years for their undergraduate degree, and they enrol for a one year master's degree (MS) in any of the disciplines, namely humanities, social sciences, languages, international relations, management, science and engineering. This agrees with the National Education Policy 2020, which aims to provide holistic and multidisciplinary education, and was approved by the Academic Council of JNU on August 17.

The newly added courses were "Counterterrorism, asymmetric conflicts and strategies for cooperation among major powers"; "India's emerging world view in the twenty-first century" and "Significance of science and technology in international relations"," Kumar said.

The vice-chancellor added that in JNU, they would continue to encourage "critical thinking since a university is a place for free enquiry, divergent ideas etc.

On Tuesday, the designer of the course, Aravind Kumar had said that the course was not targeting a particular community and was purely academic.