UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Curriculum decolonisation involves challenging colonial-era biases in knowledge systems and incorporating perspectives, texts and methodologies from indigenous and marginalised communities. The stem describes re-examining Eurocentric syllabi and including indigenous knowledge, which is at the heart of decolonisation debates. Therefore, “decolonisation” correctly fills the blank, making Option B the appropriate answer.

Option A:
Depoliticisation would mean removing political content or analysis, whereas decolonisation debates are explicitly critical and political in nature. Therefore, Option A is incorrect.

Option B:
Option B is correct because the described rebalancing of knowledge systems and inclusion of indigenous perspectives is precisely what “curriculum decolonisation” refers to.

Option C:
Militarisation refers to increased influence of military values/structures and is unrelated to syllabus content debates about colonial legacies. Hence, Option C is incorrect.

Option D:
Mechanisation concerns technology and machines and does not address whose knowledge is valued or how colonial power shaped curricula. The stem is about epistemic justice and representation, not automation. Therefore, Option D is incorrect.

Curriculum decolonisation involves challenging colonial-era biases in what counts as legitimate knowledge. It calls for foregrounding indigenous, local and marginalised perspectives alongside or in place of dominant Eurocentric narratives. The stem’s reference to re-examining Eurocentrism and including indigenous knowledge fits squarely within these debates. Hence, “decolonisation” is the correct term.

Option A:
Depoliticisation would mean removing political content or critical analysis from the curriculum. Decolonisation, by contrast, is an explicitly political and critical project, so this option is not appropriate.

Option B:
Decolonisation debates help universities question whose knowledge is privileged and how power shapes syllabi. This is exactly what the stem describes, confirming that this option is accurate.

Option C:
Militarisation refers to the increasing influence of military ideas or institutions in society and has no direct link to the inclusion of indigenous perspectives in curricula. Therefore, this option is incorrect.

Option D:
Mechanisation relates to automation and the use of machines and is unrelated to the epistemic and cultural issues raised in curriculum reform. Thus, this option cannot complete the statement.

The process of questioning Eurocentric dominance in syllabi and integrating indigenous and marginalised perspectives is commonly described as curriculum decolonisation. The stem explicitly points to these kinds of changes, so “decolonisation” is the appropriate completion.

Option A:
Option A is correct because decolonisation debates focus on whose knowledge is represented, how colonial power shaped curricula and how to give space to local and indigenous epistemologies.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect as “depoliticisation” means removing political content or debate, whereas decolonisation is deeply political and critical in nature.

Option C:
Option C is wrong because “militarisation” refers to the increasing influence of military logic or institutions, unrelated to knowledge representation in the curriculum.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect since “mechanisation” concerns the use of machines or automation and has no direct connection to revising Eurocentric syllabi.

The process of questioning colonial-era biases in knowledge and making space for indigenous and marginalised perspectives is known as curriculum decolonisation. The stem describes exactly these efforts, so “decolonisation” is the appropriate completion.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because depoliticisation would involve removing political content, whereas decolonisation is overtly political and critical in examining power relations in knowledge.

Option B:
Option B is correct as decolonisation specifically addresses whose knowledge is valued and how colonial histories have shaped curricula, matching the description given.

Option C:
Option C is wrong since militarisation refers to the growing influence of the military, which is unrelated to revising syllabi along postcolonial lines.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because mechanisation concerns increased use of machines or automation, not the epistemic critique of Eurocentrism.