Ayurveda-Biology is now a topic on NET, experts express their concerns | Latest News India

The University Grants Commission (UGC) officially introduced ‘Ayurvedic Biology’ as a new subject in the National Eligibility Test (NET) on Thursday; The move was said to be aimed at bridging traditional Indian medicine with modern biological sciences, but experts warned it could undermine the impact of this subject. creating confusion in academic standards and the job market.

The new subject will be available for examination from December 2024, following recommendations received at the Commission’s 581st meeting on 25 June 2024. The NET exam, held twice a year, determines eligibility for assistant professor positions and assistant research fellowships in Indian universities.

UGC president M Jagadesh Kumar said the initiative aims to modernize the study of traditional medicine. “When Master’s academics come and do their PhD in Ayurvedic Biology, they can go to universities and teach ayurvedic biology. “We are trying to understand our ancient medical system with a modern molecular biologist approach and see what new solutions can be designed to make medicine and medical systems accessible,” he said.

The 10-unit curriculum attempts to combine ancient Ayurvedic concepts with contemporary biological sciences. For example, Unit 7 introduces “Ayurgenomics,” which proposes to study traditional dosha-prakrti (body structure types) through modern genetic analysis and “multi-omics” approaches. However, most of these correlations remain in the early research stages and await rigorous scientific validation.

Similarly, 6-8. The units try to build a bridge between traditional Ayurvedic disease understanding and modern microbiology and immunology. The curriculum places concepts such as the “gut-brain axis” and “microbiome” alongside traditional disease pathology and touts the effort to find scientific correlations between ancient observations and current biological findings.

Academics have expressed concerns about this hybrid approach. “It broadens interdisciplinarity too much, which reduces the academic rigor and scientific approach required for both Ayurveda and Biology,” said Delhi University professor Seema Das. “How can a student without a background in Biology pursue higher education in Biology, which includes laboratory work?”

The curriculum also emphasizes the standardization of Ayurvedic medicine with modern analytical techniques. Unit 8 introduces applications of nanotechnology by proposing the use of electron microscopy, spectroscopy and chromatography to examine conventional preparations. However, many traditional Ayurvedic treatments still lack validation through controlled clinical trials; This is also recognized in Unit 10’s focus on research methodology.

“Balance between traditional knowledge systems like Ayurveda and modern medicine can be achieved by the government establishing separate institutions like colleges and hospitals for both the sectors,” said Abha Dev Habib, professor of Physics at Delhi University. “This will create more job opportunities in both traditional and modern medicine as Ayurveda should not encroach on the job market of modern medical sciences, especially when there are not enough jobs to accommodate both fields.”

This development comes amid a broader effort by the center to highlight traditional Indian Knowledge Systems following the National Education Policy 2020. Universities including Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University already offer courses on the science of Ayurveda. But previous attempts at such integration have faced difficulties.

“The shelf life of such courses is very short, we can see JNU having to close down its two centers on Indian dance and music and Systems Medicine,” Professor Das said. “The competition will be between a small number of people and will be easier with lower cut-offs compared to the main subjects. “Undue advantage can distort the fairness of competition in higher education.”

The curriculum also addresses current concerns in traditional medicine. Unit 9 covers biodiversity conservation and intellectual property rights, including “Protection of Traditional Information System (CIS), prevention of biopiracy and bioprospecting”. It also explores entrepreneurial opportunities in Ayurvedic medicine, covering product development, business strategies and regulatory frameworks.

The final unit focuses on research methodology and biostatistics, emphasizing the need for evidence-based validation of traditional practices.