New Education Policy Is Much
Needed
India was the pioneer in education during the ancient
times and she continued to remain as a powerful centre
for knowledge at the global level for several centuries. The superior educational
system that prevailed during those periods enabled India to make pioneering
contributions in diverse fields, besides keeping the nation economically and
spiritually the most prosperous.
The interference of the colonial masters during the
1830s led to the native system of education being thrown out and replaced with
a totally alien system. As a result, the nation suffered and the sufferings
continued with a huge loss. Great men such as Swami Vivekananda, Aurobindo,
Tagore and Gandhiji have emphasized the need for a right kind of education, but
still we have a very long way to go.
Hence all those concerned with the future of India are
deeply worried about the state of the education system in the country. In spite
of several attempts being made over all these years after independence, a lot
remains to be done. So it is imperative
that we take new initiatives urgently.
It is in this connection that the steps being taken up
by the central Government for a New Education Policy is to be welcomed. For
this purpose, the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India
has circulated some inputs for the Draft National Education Policy 2016 for wider
discussions and suggestions. Earlier the Ministry had organized meetings with stakeholders
at different places, besides receiving suggestions directly through different
modes of communication.
The previous education policy was made in 1986 and it
was subsequently revised in 1992. The last thirty years has witnessed a lot of
changes both at the national and international levels.
The western economic ideologies are now dead. For the
first time after the emergence of the West about three centuries ago, it openly
acknowledges that their economic models are no longer universal and hence there
are other functioning models in the world. It means a lot for a country like
India that has her own native functioning models.
The era of superpowers and economic hegemony are over
now. The richer parts of the world are facing multiple crisis, at the economic,
social, cultural and the family levels. Their contributions to the global
economy are decreasing. At the same time, Asia is fast emerging as the powerful
region.
The performance of the last two years reveal India emerging
as the fastest growing economy in the world. The respect for India at the
international level is increasing day by day. India commands a much higher
recognition at the international gatherings and her words are heard like never
before.
At the national level, people are getting more confident
of their fundamentals and strengths. India’s progress in different fields is making
them realize that they are capable of achieving much more on their own. For the
first time they have elected a nationalistic government, committed to make India a
powerful nation, with a clear majority.
Simultaneously there are vast changes in many other
fields surrounding our lives. For example, the developments in communication
technology is fast changing our day to day activities.
The main focus of the new education policy, its
vision, mission, goals and objectives appear to be well thought of and timely
for an emerging nation with a long history like ours. It takes into
consideration our failures after independence and the thrust areas that we have
to concentrate upon. The draft notes that the goals of the policy are: raising the credibility of the education
system, improving the employability of persons and ensuring equitable access to
education for all.
The focus is on inclusive education, a right that was
denied to the majority sections from the ordinary and the marginalized
backgrounds after the introduction of the Macaulay system by the British. It has to be set right at the earliest,
because education is the fundamental right of every citizen.
The draft policy emphasizes providing education to the
sections of population that remain neglected, such as the tribals. During the
recent years, there is a large movement of people in search of jobs to different
places. A large number of the children of the migrant population, especially from
poorer backgrounds, are not able to get into the education system. It is good
that the policy takes into account their educational needs.
Importance is given to life-long learning, skill
development, employability and development of entrepreneurial abilities. This
approach needs to be appreciated, as we have a lot of potential that remains
untouched. We are a nation with the largest number of youth population in the
world. But they lack the skills required for doing different jobs.
For example, one study on the engineering graduates
notes that only 17 per cent of them are employable; which means 83 per cent of
our graduates are unemployable, a rather pitiable state. Hence making our students learn different
skills is essential. In this connection, skills have to be imparted from the
school level itself based on the interests of the students. A growing economy
such as ours needs more skilled people that we lack today.
On the other hand, we have a very large number of
highly skilled people from different fields such as artisans and technicians. But they are not recognized in the outside
world, as they lack the official recognition. It is necessary that they have to
be certified and recognized based on their skills, so that their contribution
would be more. We have to welcome the policy pointing out the issue of
certifying the uncertified expertise.
Different studies have pointed out the significance of
providing education through one’s own mother tongue. The policy notes that education
in mother tongue would be provided up to standard V. Besides, it notes that the
three language formula would be followed from standard VI. In this connection,
importance should be given to Sanskrit, as it contains a treasure of knowledge which
would be a boon to the children. We have to understand that many of the western
countries teach Sanskrit in schools and universities.
Emphasis on yoga and significance to local arts and
literature are to be welcomed. Soon they have to become part of the curricula
in the respective regions. The Initiative for Cultural and Moral Training
(IMCT), Chennai has documented more than hundred types of traditional games and
sports activities prevalent in Tamil Nadu that develop the mental and physical
abilities of children. Unfortunately, they are not in practice in the academic
system due to neglect. We have to bring them back as they are time-tested
techniques.
In the development of a nation, cultural and value
education plays a major role. The unfortunate aspect of the modern education
system is the neglect of this vital area in the curriculum. Hence serious have
steps have to be taken to provide the best of value education to the children.
The history and heritage of our country should be taught from the nationalistic
perspectives. The children should be able to develop a pride for the nation
from young days.
An important aspect that is missing in the education
system today is the lack of synergy between what is taught in class rooms and
what is prevalent in the outside world. Most of the subjects, especially in the
higher education system relating to fields such as social sciences and
management, still teach outdated and irrelevant western ideas. While we have to
take steps to teach all the best concepts and practices from all parts of the
world, the core of education has to be
India-centric.
(Yuva Bharati, Vol.44, No.2, Sept.2016)
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