Prof Raj Shree Dhar
“The most beautiful mathematical formula I have ever seen is a sum of series from infinity to infinity, without any finite term between them.”- Srinivasa Ramanujan
The education system in ancient India was deeply rooted in the cultural, spiritual, and intellectual traditions of the time. It was not only aimed at imparting knowledge but also at shaping moral and ethical values, spiritual growth, and the development of various practical skills. The system was highly personalized and largely centered on the Guru-Shishya (teacher-student) tradition, where students learned directly from teachers in an intimate, experiential environment. Ancient India’s education system was a holistic and rich blend of intellectual, spiritual, and practical learning. It fostered critical thinking, ethical conduct, and intellectual mastery in various disciplines. The institutions, like Nalanda and Takshila, were global centers of knowledge, attracting scholars from all over the world, contributing immensely to the intellectual heritage of humanity. India has a long history of being mathematically advanced. The rest of the world received the number system, zero, astronomy, trigonometry, algebra, ratio, etc. from Indian mathematicians.
Sankhya, the ancient Indian philosophy of Saint Kapil is a system that seeks to explain the nature of the universe, the relationship between the material (Prakriti), and the spiritual (Purusha) the passive observer, pure consciousness, and the processes of evolution and knowledge. Sankhya philosophy is fundamentally about categorization and classification of the material and spiritual aspects of the universe. The relationship between Sankhya philosophy and mathematics lies in their shared emphasis on order, structure, and logic. Since number plays an important part in knowledge of things, so all principles of Universe are quantitatively determined as the word Sankhya means. Sankhya’s categorization of the universe into fundamental elements or principles (tattvas) and its systematic analysis of the process of creation resonate with the mathematical process of breaking down complex phenomena into simpler, manageable parts. Both systems use logical reasoning and classification to understand and explain the world, about the cosmos or mathematical problems. Mathematics, while a modern discipline has roots in many ancient philosophical and mathematical traditions, and its development was influenced by the need to understand order, numbers, and the underlying structures of the universe – ideas central to Sankhya philosophy.
The most significant element in our lives is education. It is essential because learning occurs every step of the way as we see, interact, and experience new things. After acquiring new knowledge, we grow, evolve, and widen our ideas. From time to time, the government has made various changes in the education system. The required modifications have been put into place in accordance with the current situation, and significant changes have been made to education in order to make it effective and relevant. The first NEP was put into effect by the government in 1968, and the second one in 1986. The National Education Policy, NEP- 2020 was imperative to adopt because of how quickly the world is changing and how frequently its demands are changing. The four pillars of Access, Equity, Quality, and Accountability form the foundation of the new NEP. To transform the country into a “Vishva Guru” through NEP 2020 can only be accomplished by improving the flexibility, holistic nature, and multidisciplinary nature of the educational system. Students should possess basic skills of Mathematics in addition to 21st century skills like soft skills, high-order cognitive skills, problem-solving skills, and communication skills.
NEP-2020 provides a platform to develop, nurture, foster, encourage, and amplify mathematical thinking and reasoning. By making mathematics entertaining and engaging from the very first step, the NEP gives students the nourishment they need. The NEP also mandates the implementation of a coding curriculum beginning in middle school because it fosters the development of computing skills and intuitive reasoning to shift the focus from rote memorization to conceptual understanding and applying knowledge to real-world situations. Students will be encouraged to understand the “why” behind mathematical operations and theorems, not just the “how”.
The Government of India has started a foundational literacy and numeracy programme, under the NIPUN Bharat Mission. NEP 2020 emphasizes empowering learners at the primary level with reading comprehension, writing, and arithmetic skills. NEP 2020 also focuses on early childhood care and education and aims to achieve 100 percent proficiency and numeracy skills in children up to the 3rd grade. NEP 2020 proposed a curriculum and pedagogy overhaul, as well as a paradigm shift from content-based to experience-based learning, to make learning more meaningful and interesting. It focuses on the importance of mathematics and mathematical thinking in upcoming research-oriented fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science. Mathematics, therefore, is not only “number work” or “computation” but is more about forming generalizations, seeing relationships, and developing logical thinking and reasoning. Problem posing, problem-solving, and modelling activities are core areas in inquiry-based teaching. NEP introduces a credit-based system and an interdisciplinary curriculum to give students the freedom to apply their knowledge considering the numerous and varied applications of mathematics. The learner who enjoys mathematics will gain the most from these modifications.
Math anxiety is a serious issue which must be approached with utmost care. The mathematics anxiety is resulting from post mathematical experience such as learning style, past unsatisfactory experiences, teacher’s personality, poor books, class room environment, the time limitations and student anxiety in mathematics learning By adopting a growth mindset, practicing regularly, breaking down problems into smaller parts are some solutions to build confidence in mathematical skills and reduce anxiety as the patience, persistence, and a positive attitude are keys to transform the relationship with mathematics. There are a variety of resources specifically designed to address math anxiety and help students overcome it like support groups who offer counseling services like workshops, sessions etc. for the students struggling with math anxiety. Mathematics teaching can be made more interesting through audio visual aids which can make abstract mathematical concepts concrete and meaningful. It is desirable to use experiments in mathematical laboratory to verify mathematical truths and discover mathematical laws and principles. Laboratory method is a procedure for stimulating the activities of the students and to encourage them to make discoveries. Mathematical clubs are also platforms where interested learning can take place through fun-filled activities. The mathematics teacher should take the responsibility for effective use of the mathematics library for the students to get acquainted with the latest developments in mathematics. The ideas of innovative approaches of teaching mathematics to avoid phobia should be adopted.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 of India offers a comprehensive approach to transforming the education system, and one of its core objectives is to address challenges like math phobia. Math phobia, or mathematics anxiety, is a fear or apprehension towards learning mathematics, often stemming from negative experiences with the subject in the past, societal stereotypes, or teaching methods that focus on rote learning rather than conceptual understanding. The NEP 2020, with its focus on holistic education, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving, provides several strategies that can help remove math phobia in students like focus on conceptual understanding instead of rote learning, foundational learning like numeracy, group learning, stress free learning by advocating continuous and formative assessments and activity based learning, use of technology and digital interactive learning, diverse teaching methods to varied needs of the students, teacher empowerment and professional development by training teachers in teaching innovative methods to equip them with various student-centered teaching methods, emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving by promoting inquiry-based approach and real life applications, and highlighting the importance of parental support programmes in addition to community-based learning and extra-curricular activities.
(The autor is Dean, Cluster University of Jammu.)
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