About

Universal Human Values

April 2018
Summary
Foundation Course in Universal Human Values and Professional Ethics
Part of the academic curriculum of 40+ universities in 10 states of India

FDP – Level 1, 2 and 3

Text Book, Teacher’s Manual, Website

Included in AICTE Model Curriculum in 2018 for all professional

technical colleges in India

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Foundation Course in Universal Human Values
"A Foundation Course on Human Values & Professional Ethics",
- RR Gaur et al., Excel Books 2009
It has been designed to be a part of the academic curriculum

It provides the essential guidelines for a human conduct and

human society

It helps develop the ability to discriminate between superficial & valuable

in all aspects of living; and develops the commitment for it

It follows a process of self exploration, self-verification on the basis of

one’s own natural acceptance
(It is not a process of assuming nor a process of do’s & don’ts)

It provides a universal basis for human values that supplements and

provides direction to the current educational system
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Foundation Course in Universal Human Values
It is a proposal about the natural laws, on reality, as it is – in a way
that anyone can understand it on their own right. It follows a process
of self verification, on the basis of one’s own Natural Acceptance,
leading to self-empowerment
 
It does not teach values. It encourages students to discover what they
consider valuable. Accordingly, they should be able to discriminate
between valuable and the superficial in real situations in their life.

It facilitates discussion on:

Their life goals, reflection on what they are and what they want to be
Their relationships in family
Their relationships with society
Their relationships with nature/existence

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Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow
700 colleges spread across the state of Uttar Pradesh

The foundation course on UHV is now a 3 credit compulsory course in

the 3/4 semester in all UG programs

The effort is coordinated by the Value Education Cell at the university. It

is supported by 44 nodal centres

Teacher preparation – now there are more than 6000 AKTU teachers
familiar with UHV
 8-day faculty development program level 1
 Advanced faculty development programs (refreshers, level 2 & level 3)

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Encouraging Impact (similar experience reported by other universities)
 The wisdom (understanding, clarity, purpose) has increased. There is more
thought about higher human goals. This clarity about direction and purpose of life
has resulted in increased self discipline, greater sense of responsibility and
reduced need for external enforcement

 The attention to relationship (in the family, with colleagues, with teachers) has
increased. They have become more responsible

 There is an increased sense of commitment toward family and society

 Deep sense of gratitude for efforts by elders, culture, religion

 Students tend to be more responsible towards academics. This has also had a
positive impact on employability, self-employment and commitment toward
teaching

 It has become clearer that material needs are limited; They can see that
availability of physical facility is more than this limited need, so there is a sense
of prosperity
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International Conference on Human Values in Higher Education
The initial results of personal transformation at several universities have
been quite encouraging… there is a possibility of a societal
transformation to a human society
The entry point is human education…

To share this possibility, an international conference has been organised

every year since 2012
2012 IIIT, Hyderabad
2013 IIIT, Hyderabad
2014 Punjab Technical University, Kapurthala
2015 Royal University of Bhutan
2016 Atmiya Group of Institutions, Rajkot
2017 IIT, Kanpur
2018 KGUMSB, Thimphu, Bhutan
2019 IIT (BHU), Varanasi

The next conference is at MMDU, Mullana-Ambala 20-22 March 2020.

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Current Status of Proliferation – April 2018
40+ universities* in 10 states on India and two universities in Bhutan have the
UHV foundation course as a core part of their academic curriculum

In 2018, AICTE included UHV as a part of the Model Curriculum for all
technical education (engineering, architecture etc.) across India:
 It is to be offered as an essential 3-credit course (H-102) in 3 rd/4th semester or
earlier
 UHV is included as a core part of the mandatory student induction program

In August 2018, UGC adopted UHV as a part of the student induction program
but it is yet to be implemented

Some of the prominent people view UHV as having significant potential in the
individual as well as societal transformation

In Bhutan, UHV is increasingly seen as providing the base and details for
realising GNH

*these are general universities, technical universities (including IITs),

agricultural universities and medical universities

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Summary of our Learnings 2009-19
 Human values are definite

 Human values can be taught – youth, regardless of their background,

can explore, discover the humanness in them and develop

 Students find it interesting, when it is shared as a proposal for self-

exploration (rather than a set of instructions or do’s and don’ts).

 Self-exploration is an effective means of self-evolution. There is

significant perceptional transformation in those exploring it seriously

 Problems are an indication of the lack of clarity and effort in line with
our existential purpose, our true human aspiration

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HE President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s Message to the Nation – 2006
Dr. Kalam, the then President of India, had
come to know of this initiative and he
invited those involved for discussions.
There were 4 discussions. He spoke about
the effort in his address to the nation on
the eve of Independence Day in Aug 2006

“[it] is a ‘teachable human value based skill’… This process of imparting

self-knowledge would promote a learning atmosphere, where this whole
movement of inquiry into knowledge, into oneself, into the possibility of
something beyond knowledge would bring about naturally a
psychological revolution.. From this comes inevitably a totally
different order in human relationship and therefore society as a
whole. The intelligent understanding of this process itself can
bring about a profound change in the consciousness of
mankind…” (VIDEO 3 min)

Source: http://www.indianembassy.ru/docs-htm/en/en_hp_win_official_direct_t075.htm 11
Her Majesty, the Queen Mother of Bhutan
Gyelyum Tseyring Pem Wangchuck
-at the inauguration of the 7th ICHVHE, Thimphu, Bhutan

“when I first heard about this intensive work in value

education that Shri Ganesh Bagaria and his colleagues are
doing, I attended a 3 day workshop of [universal] human
values last year [2017]. What I learned there touched me
deeply… It is the expression of profound goodness that all
beings are innately endowed with… [it is] the way of the
Bodhisatva…”

“I strongly believe the values this course covers are the

same values as the principles underlying the concept of
Gross National Happiness… “

“Now, more than ever, this [UHV] program has to be

integrated into our education system. From age 0 to 5 in
kindergarten, day care centres, early childhood development
centres and then into formal education through all levels of
education, teaching institutions, work programs in
government organizations, business houses and
corporations… reforms in education systems the world
over, is necessary to have, to bring back our sanity and
our humanity”
Emerging Potential

Human Education

Individual Transformation

Societal Transformation

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