Hyderabad: The University Grants Commission has called for a total ban on animal dissection for study purposes, making it mandatory for all colleges to comply with the ruling.
Dissection and experimentation are currently part of the instruction method in universities and colleges offering zoology and life sciences undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Animal welfare groups claim the fresh ruling will save the lives of 19 million animals every year.
The UGC’s latest decision is an improvisation to the partial ban on dissection the education body issued previously in 2011.
Educational institutions found violating the order can now be booked under the Wildlife Protection Act and also the Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals Act. The UGC’s 2011 guidelines was optional for universities.
Read: Many state schools ignore ban on dissection
“By issuing a notification to eliminate animal dissection and experimentation for training purposes, the UGC will modernise science education across the country and save the lives of animals. The notification also means students should never again be forced to choose between enrolling in science courses and staying true to moral beliefs against cruelty to animals,” said Dr Chaitanya Koduri, science policy advisor attached to the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals.
PETA had met with UGC officials to stress on the implementation of educational material that is animal-friendly such as computer simulations, videos, charts and lifelike 3D models to teach anatomy and complex biological systems.
“The University Grant Commission’s latest action is now in line with the 2012 Ministry of Environment and Forests’ directive to the UGC and other education bodies to completely stop dissection and experimentation on animals for training and use of non-animal methods of teaching instead,” a press release said.
As per the 2011 guidelines,teachers were allowed to demonstrate dissection to students, whereas postgraduate students had the option of choosing if they wanted to take it up. “Some states implemented the partial ban, whereas some are yet to do so,” said Dr Chaitanya.
