UGC gets ready with its BSc and MSc in astrology

UGC gets ready with its BSc and MSc in astrology
MEGHA BAHREE

NEW DELHI, MARCH 29: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has finally approved the proposal for introducing astrology as a course at under-graduate and post-graduate levels in universities from the coming academic session. The syllabus and other details of the courses will be announced in a few days, UGC chairperson Hari Gautam told The Indian Express.

Gautam said the BSc and MSc courses in astrology will be available in few select universities. ``It is a professional course and will be introduced only in select universities after we check their background, culture, how keen they are to have it...,'' said Gautam.

The UGC chairman said everyone is interested in knowing about what future holds for them. ``So we want to produce certified professionals to secure the confidence and faith of people,'' he said.

Gautam said the course content will be decided by the team of 11 experts from various universities. They are soon to come up with the guidelines for the course as well the selection of teachers. The core team also includes a few directors of some astrology institutes. ``There will also be an element of practical exercise involved as we want to provide quality education,'' he said. Individual universities will be given the option whether to run the course or not, Gautam said. So far UGC has received proposals from at least 70-80 universities who want the course but they can't cater to so many.

Contrary to UGC's claim, the idea is not popular, at least in universities in New Delhi. Says Ram Ramaswamy, head of the department of the School of Physical Sciences in the Jawaharlal Nehru University: ``I hope nobody will want it. It is not something to be welcomes especially as a science subject and it would be very unfortunate if anyone took it up.''

P.C. Jain, head of the astrophysics department in Delhi University saidastrology cannot be a subject in science and at least for the present they have no plans of introducing it in Delhi University. ``It's a little out of place,'' he commented adding, ``it's not a science as you collect a certain amount of data and then make assumptions on that unlike in astronomy. I'm not in favour of it but if the government wants to introduce it that's up to them.''