On a recent visit to the easternmost part of our nation in the hilly region of Longding in Arunachal Pradesh, the land of the dawn-lit mountains, I had the good fortune of interacting with the young children of Kendriya Vidyalaya, which brought immense joy to me. Such interactions reinforce my belief that the future of India is in the right hands.
One particular reply by a girl student to my question on her future aspirations struck me. She said that when she grows up, she will work to solve the water crisis in the Longding district. She further added that she would emphasise rainwater harvesting and create structures that will help in storing rainwater for future use. This reply has many connotations, from the purity of thinking to the spirit of giving back to society and become a part of the solution.
This is how we have reimagined our education system to be. Our young generation should not only learn the subject but also teach and nurture the feeling of giving back to society and become change agents instead of always cribbing about the problem.
With this as one of the guiding principles, National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was introduced under the dynamic leadership of our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Its guiding philosophy aims to nurture, inspire, influence, and groom children.
Many deliberations took place after the policy’s launch, and various seminars, workshops, webinars, and panel discussions were done across the nation to discuss the nuances of the policy. The discussions centred on how NEP should benefit the entire country and that education should become a tool of empowerment of the citizenry and an instrument to strengthen the nation-building process.
Whenever I go through the NEP 2020 document, better interpretations and meanings emerge every time. While reading the policy, I realised its emphasis is on Holistic Education. During my visit to different institutions in the past few months, I felt there is a need for a significant increase in macro and micro-actions in the realisation of holistic education amongst our faculties and students.
The purpose of holistic education is not only to prepare students for academic success but also to enable them to learn the challenges of living as a whole. It is more than the whole student’s education and addresses the broadest development of the entire person at the cognitive and affective levels.
Holistic education prepares a student for lifelong learning. The educational focus moves toward the life skills, attitudes, and personal awareness the student will need in an increasingly complex world. The holistic approach to education develops a learner’s social and academic maturity to accept life’s challenges, build their understanding, and learn from their errors.
The ancient education system concentrated on the all-round development of the individual by taking care of both the inner and the outer self. It emphasised values such as modesty, truthfulness, discipline, self-reliance, and respect for all creations. Students were taught to appreciate the balance between human beings and nature.
We also need to teach our young generations about the contributions of ancient India so that they not only appreciate and learn about the past but also have a future-oriented approach rooted in traditional wisdom.
The inclusion of Indian Knowledge Systems at each and every level is the need of the hour. Various Institutes have started centres related to Indian Knowledge Systems, and many others are joining the league.
Further, NEP 2020 has a vision that will lead the students to return to their society and pay back to their society, parents, village, district, state, and nation. This reminds me of Kaviguru Rabindranath Tagore’s poetry, ‘Maatir buker maajhe’:
“Maatir buker maajhe bondi je jal miliye thaake
Maati paay na paay na, maati paay na taake…”
In the poem and in nature, water comes back to the Earth in the form of rain after traversing a path.
There is a need to provide that kind of Holistic Education as described by Gurudev so
that students will feel like
coming back to their society and pay back to their society, parents, village, district, and state. In this context, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that a Holistic education system is vital for national transformation.
Therefore, “Holistic Education is the Soul of National Education Policy 2020.” Our efforts to create Atmanirbhar Bharat and New India will be realised by implementing NEP 2020 in its true spirit as our government envisioned.
Union Minister of State for Education