“New Education Policy will pave the way for India to become a Vishwa guru”

The New India envisioned by our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, needed an education policy as the cornerstone that could convert the challenges of a rapidly changing society and dynamic world into opportunities and lead to a prosperous India. The National Education Policy-2020, prepared after in-depth study, contemplation and observation is, apart from being thoroughly India-centric, full of quality, innovation, practical, technological, international, scientific knowledge and skill.

Overall the NEP-2020 is a reflection of the aspirations of over 130 crore Indians. NEP-2020 has laid special emphasis on the development of Indian traditional knowledge, culture, languages, traditions and human values and it is clear in this policy that education is not only about the knowledge and information obtained from teachers and books. It is about inculcating values, abilities and attitudes that inculcate the virtues of peace, justice and inclusiveness to build a stable society.

Whatever commissions or policies were made to improve education in the country, they gave many valuable recommendations, but they were not implemented on the ground due to lack of political will. For example, in 1968, the Kothari Commission had said that 6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) should be spent on education, this was also accepted in the Education Policy of 1986, but till date it has not been followed in practice.

Even if we leave aside what happened before India became independent, then after independence too, we have not been able to decide the goal of education till now. According to Swami Vivekananda, the goal of the country’s education should be character building and the formation of a person, that is, the development of personality. Many other visionaries have also been of the same view.

Certainly by establishing India as an attractive center of education, the National Education Policy will pave the way for India to become a Vishwa guru.