UGC Directs Universities to Exclude Animal Dissection from Course Curriculum

Seeking a complete ban on animal dissection, the University Grants Commission (UGC) sent recently a letter to all the affiliated universities reminding them about the its guidelines issued more than two years back that urges discontinuation from the animal dissection and experimentation in zoology and life science courses.

UGC, the apex body to regulate for higher education in India, had released in November 2011 a set of guidelines, which recommended that animal dissection and experimentation for university and college zoology and life sciences courses should be put on end in a phased manner, and suggested for the use books, models and films instead for the same.

Now, the commission wants universities to adhere strictly with the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972 and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and avoid direct dissection and experimentation of animal lives as part of the course curriculum.

The UGC letter states, "The UGC guidelines for discontinuation of dissection of live animals in the laboratories in a phased manner and suggestions for alternate modes of experimentation were conveyed to you in November 2011. You may kindly recall that you were requested to ensure compliance of these guidelines by both the departments and the colleges affiliated to your university."

The letter further states that the colleges would keep the UGC updated about the progress through posts.