Ethos of education in India has always been of ‘Aparoksh Anubhuti’, i.e. that of direct experience. Each philosophy of this land comes along with set of prescribed practices to fetch an individual to the awareness level of unity of all. This was not just for spiritual aspects but even for material growth and achievements through education. “The era of forcing anything on youth without understanding them, has long gone and flexibility in education is the key to turn India into a vibrant knowledge society,” said PM Narendra Modi in inaugural address of a Samagam in Varanasi. With the aim to extract nectar for transforming education by focusing on the various facets of ‘New Eduation Policy 2020’, a three day educational maha kumbh was organized in Varanasi. The aim of the ‘Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam’ as it had been named, was to come out with a firm resolve to work collectively to transform the country into an equitable and vibrant knowledge society, which India significantly needs at this juncture. In this sense, this event proved to be a huge success, where freewheeling ideas were witnessed.
The concept of learning and educational impartations form an integral part of the rich history of the Indian subcontinent. From the ancient most type of schools in the form of ‘Gurukuls’, to ‘Ashram Vidya’, to Buddhist education centres, madrassas, Universities like Nalanda, Takshashila Vikramshila and to introduction of modern education during the colonial rule, Indian land has witnessed a rich mix of learning starting from spirituality, followed by knowledge, astronomy, science, logical discoveries, skills, various Arts, theology, and finally modern education. The whole historic spectrum showcases how more than the ‘Theory’ aspects, the Indian civilisation has dominantly exhausted their beliefs into the importance of practical and creative learning. NEP 2020 brings back that same culture in the most modern and tech-era essence.
It is rather good fortune for India that ‘Entrepreneurship’ which fuels innovation, multi-level employment opportunities and growth (economic, social, personal), is booming in its landscapes. NEP 2020 is entirely based on the new factors have brought in a sense of trust among those forming the education vertical. These include collaborations of various Indian educational institutions with entities within and outside India, industry interface for research and consultancy, increased Public – Private partnership and investment in the education field, entrepreneurship and skill formation, shifting to digital means and smart learning, greater practical exposure being made available, multi-dimensional pedagogy as a creative art, greater acceptance for foundation and vocational courses, and skill development. Rise of Ed-Tech and Experiential Learning provide good exposure for scholars to expand more on their intellectual finesse.
It’s good to see that a number of seminars are being organized by the concerned educational authorities in universities and other places across the country to give a realistic and relevant shape to NEP by inviting brainstorming ideas. PM Modi himself has attended more than 25 seminars to talk about the implementation of the NEP. Now we can expect to emerge as a big destination for global education and be able to take advantage of the demographic dividend. We must bring in an education system that is well rooted in Indian values, thoughts and sense of service, which we have always cherished and nourished. In this case NEP2020 gives us the direction and path for also decolonizing our education and creating pride in our languages, culture, knowledge and traditions.
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