Karnataka forms expert groups to analyze curriculum gaps in state public universities against Harvard, MIT, LSE, Peking, Tsinghua

Updated - July 24, 2026 09:21 pm IST | Bengaluru

Jayanth R.

The State government has constituted Subject Expert Groups to carry out a comprehensive curriculum gap analysis of State public universities, benchmarking them against top global institutions.

Subject Expert Groups have been formed for a total of 29 core academic disciplines, including history, economics, chemistry, computer science, physics, mathematics, criminology, and astronomy.

These groups will examine the gaps between the curricula of State public universities and those of world-class universities such as:

• Harvard University (U.S.A.)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, U.S.A.)
• London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE, U.K.)
• Peking University, Beijing (China)
• Tsinghua University, Beijing (China)

They will submit a report to the government based on their findings.

Institutional review meetings conducted by the Department of Higher Education with State public universities have revealed significant structural, thematic, and pedagogical differences between the higher education curricula currently in use in Karnataka’s universities and those deployed by the world’s leading institutions.

To systematically identify, quantify, and address these disparities, and to align the State’s higher education ecosystem with global standards of excellence, the Department of Higher Education has proposed a rigorous, subject-wise curriculum gap analysis.

To execute this mandate effectively, the State government has constituted domain-specific Subject Expert Groups under the aegis of the Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC).

These groups will evaluate curricula on a subject-by-subject basis and submit a granular, data-driven curriculum gap analysis report focusing strictly on eight parameters, including:

• Curriculum development approaches in world-class universities
• Comparative mapping of curriculum content
• Comparative analysis of curriculum highlights
• Employability skills in world-class curricula
• Global teaching and delivery mechanisms versus the Indian system
• Global benchmarking for Karnataka’s teaching, learning, and assessment
• Other relevant parameters

The Subject Expert Groups are also required to conduct a systematic mapping to identify critical subject matter, core conceptual domains, and current affairs frameworks present in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination syllabus that are currently absent from State public university syllabi.

Speaking to The Hindu, an official of the KSHEC said:

“The curriculum currently adopted by our public universities does not meet the current global trends, technological developments, and the needs of industries. If our students want to compete with global challenges, there is a need to make major changes in the curriculum. In this regard, Subject Expert Groups have been constituted to conduct a gap analysis of the curriculum of our State public universities with the curriculum of world-class universities. Based on the report given by these groups, appropriate changes will be made in the curriculum.”

Published - July 24, 2026 09:11 pm IST