D.K. Pandita, Ayush Pandita
To give the discussion we are going to have a little perspective, lets ponder over what data is trying to tell us. The Census of India (2011) suggests that about 30 percent of the total population of the nation is below 15 years. The United Nations Population Division’s report projection suggests that the youth population in India will be 34.46 percent by 2020 and India will be the youngest country in the world with an average age of 29 years. Where does this lead us? By 2030 India will have the largest number of the working population (962 million) in the world. To impart appropriate skills for lives and livelihood, proper schooling and education are extremely important. Although this has been the concern of Indian leaders since the freedom movement, Mahatma Gandhi had the vision of the National Education System with a worldview of a non-violent social system, originally articulated in his pivotal work “Hind Swaraj?. He articulated his vision of education further also, as available in his Collected Works. This has led to many deliberations through various committees and commissions since the Zakir Hussain Committee after the Wardha Conference on National Education in 1937 and culminated in various sets of recommendations for the betterment of education in India.
Since independence, three “National Educational Policies? have been introduced. The first National Education Policy was put in place in 1968 and the second in 1986. The third National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which the Government of India introduced in 2020, which was approved by the Union Cabinet of India on 29 July 2020, outlines the vision of India’s new education system. The new policy replaces the previous National Policy on Education, 1986. This policy is a comprehensive framework for elementary education, higher education as well as vocational training in both rural and urban India. The policy aims to transform India’s education system by 2030. Shortly after the release of the policy, the Government clarified that no one will be forced to study any particular language and that the medium of instruction will not be shifted from English to any regional language.
The language policy in NEP is a broad guideline and advisory in nature; and it is up to the states, institutions, and schools to decide on the implementation as education in India is a “Concurrent List? subject. Gandhiji was of the firm opinion that true and original education remains natural, environment-friendly, and useful in life and results in all-round development (moral, cultural, and material improvement) of the individual and society with self-reliance and dignity of labor. Therefore, education through the mother tongue is the best medium. Gandhiji’s method of teaching was, therefore, different from the current one. He emphasized the importance of some principles in his method of teaching, To achieve mental development, training of senses and parts of the body should be given. Reading should precede the teaching of writing. More opportunities should be given for learning by doing. Encouragement should be given to learning by experience. Correlation should be established in the teaching methods and learning experiences. Gandhiji’s “Basic Education? was the practical embodiment of his philosophy of education. His basic education takes up the challenging task of preparing young learners to become morally sound, individually independents, socially constructive, economically productive, and responsible future citizens which can prove helpful in solving the problem of unemployment by making youth self-employed by giving them skill training. Gandhiji believed that education should develop all the capacities of the child so that he becomes a complete human being. In this way, a fully harmoniously developed personality can realize the ultimate aim of life which is Truth or God. Gandhiji has himself explained – “By education, I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child’s and man’s body, mind and spirit. Literacy is neither the beginning nor the end of education. This is only a means through which man or woman can be educated.”
According to Gandhiji, through education, a child must be able to learn a productive craft to meet his future needs of life by adopting some industry or business. Hence, he advocated education for self-reliance and the capacity to earn one’s livelihood as the main aim of education. By this aim, he did mean to make the child a laborer but wished that each child should earn while engaged in learning and gain some learning as he is busy with earning. He advocated that together with vocational education, cultural advancement should also be achieved. The two aspects of development should go together side by side. Mahatma Gandhi recommended imparting education through the mother tongue, bridge the gaps between mental and physical labor, with values of dignity of labor, character-building, dutifulness, morality, self-reliance, and equality, embedded with life, culture, and prosperity for integrated personality development.
This NEP 2020 report in reference has been prepared by an 11-member committee headed by Dr. K. Kasturirangan, a former Chairman of the ISRO, Bangalore. This report is divided into four parts. Part one deals extensively with school education from early child care to pedagogy, teachers, inclusive and equitable education, child rights and protection besides proposals for what to teach, how to teach, numbers, language, curriculum framework, diversity, etc. Part two discusses higher education for more liberal, quality, learning environment, capacity building for teaching and research, hard and soft infrastructure, effective governance, and regulations. Part three deals with additional key focus areas, such as technology, vocation and adult education, and promotion of Indian languages. And part four focuses on the transformation of education by creating a National Education Commission followed by an addendum of making it happen with finance and way forward, along with appendices.
We should remember that the essence of Gandhiji does not lie in ahimsa or “trusteeship”, but his deep concern for the poverty-stricken masses of India. So long as poverty remains anywhere in India, and so long as there are entrenched economic interests and conspicuous affluence among a minority, the educational revolution remains incomplete. The revolution cannot be carried forward by the labeled Gandhians or even by a handful of dedicated men to whichever party they may belong; it can only be carried forward to success by mass mobilization and mass action on basic social and economic issues without allowing communal, regional and other bogeys raised by vested interests to divert attention from the goal. It is precisely here that we, inheritors of the great heritage, have failed miserably to live up to it. Gandhiji’s philosophy of life is based upon the philosophy of Idealism. He advocated the ideals of truth, non-violence, and moral values to achieve the ultimate truth of self-realization.
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com
Follow our WhatsApp channel
