The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has written to colleges and universities across the country to set up selfie points with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the background as the 2024 general elections inch closer.
The UGC letter has come on the heels of another such directive where the regulatory body had urged institutes of higher education in Maharashtra to celebrate the birth centenary year of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Dattaji Didolkar.
In its latest letter, the UGC has suggested that campus authorities should encourage students and visitors to take selfies at these points to instil a sense of “collective pride” over “India’s achievements in various fields”.
Several academics accused the regulator of drafting academic institutions into a “cult-building” exercise they should “have nothing to do with”, the Telegraph reported.
“There is a unique opportunity to harness the energy and enthusiasm of the youth, moulding their minds with inspiration drawn from India’s progress in diverse fields,” says a letter from UGC secretary Manish Joshi, sent to the vice-chancellors of all Indian universities and the principals of all the colleges on Friday (December 1).
Also read: UGC Directs Maharashtra Universities To Celebrate RSS-ABVP Leader’s Birth Centenary
“Let us celebrate and disseminate the incredible strides made by our country by establishing a ‘Selfie Point’ within your institution. The aim of ‘Selfie Point’ is to create awareness among the youth about India’s achievements in various fields, particularly the new initiatives under the National Education Policy 2020,” the letter reads.
It may be noted that the NEP 2020 was widely criticised across universities with students and teachers holding several protests against its implementation.
According to the UGC’s directive, each selfie point should be established at a strategic place on the campus and have a 3D layout. It has also recommended various themes like internationalisation of education, unity in diversity, Smart India Hackathon, Indian knowledge system, multilingualism, and India’s rise in higher education, research and innovation for the photo-ops.
A faculty member at a top institution was quoted by the Telegraph saying that the government was portraying every ordinary achievement as a spectacular one and attributing the credit to the Prime Minister.
Also read: The NEP Goes Against the Existing Constitutional Mandate of the RTE
“What is happening is full-blown propaganda to build a cult figure. The State is doing it using public institutions that have nothing to do with these activities. There is no provision in the law to enable the government or the UGC to ask academic institutions to promote such propaganda,” he said.
“A subtle perception is being created that only one leader is responsible for all these activities. This is being done to misguide gullible voters keeping the elections in mind,” the academic added.
A management teacher told that paper the UGC keeps issuing such circulars but the campus administrations is free to ignore them. “(Educational) institutions should not heed such advice. Those institutional leaders who are not sycophants will be able to ignore this kind of advice,” he said.