By Fr Soroj Mullick, SDB –
Education is a centre-state joint subject matter, and its policy needs to be finalized in consultation with the states. If we seek to bind a nation into a long-term prescriptive policy for education in ‘dictated terms’, then it may fail to nurture true innovation in education.
For example, in a multi-language country, English needs to be given a priority especially in higher education. Whereas, the importance given to Hindi will bring down disaster to overall education in India. There is no direct relation between Indian traditions, science and cultures, and the modern universal learning process.
Also read earlier part: Political Reins Over Indian Education
Therefore, there is no contradiction between traditions and English language. The double intentional approach namely – country’s development and connection with the world-knowledge – has to go hand in hand. Social sciences and liberal arts can go along with them, and not as an alternative. The danger of forming all students into the same ‘mould’, with uniformity, is uncalled for. Uniformity and equality should not be done at the cost of social diversities.
A centrally thought-out curriculum can throttle the regional historical and cultural studies, while impose the central government’s political agenda. India needs the political will, not to ‘reign’, but to formulate a time-bound national strategy for learning while giving autonomy to the states to create their own plan. Independent autonomous bodies, free from the shackles of the ruling party, will have to monitor performance and strengthen the system at all levels by merging pedagogical inputs with key policy reforms.
Educational language has to be separate from that of the legislative. All the structural reforms that the present government tries to bring is for its own favour. The camouflaged dressing of an ideal multidisciplinary education with the ‘liberal arts’ and social sciences, now forced upon universities and colleges, at the cost of closing studies on social exclusion of women across Indian universities since 2017, is case of bigotry and duplicity. To prescribe studies on humanities and social science courses to students enrolled in all scientific, technological and professional disciplines, is only a ‘cacophony’ of self-soothing melodies. With this broad-based interdisciplinary approach the government wishes to produce ‘Jacks- of-all-trades.’
The idea of merging colleges and universities, thus reducing to a maximum of 12,300 in two decades, is again a strategy of control by the RSA with the intention of uniformity of local social conditions with wielding of centralized power. With the same ideological power stroke, the government schools will be reorganised into units called school complexes, with one secondary school (Grades 9-12) and all other schools from pre-primary till Grade 8. The clustered schools will share the pool of teachers. This could be a utopian idea, impossible to execute, knowing well the ground realities.
The biggest challenge in implementing the NEP will be in capacity-building, getting the public support in each state irrespective of who is governing it, and rigorous monitoring in the midst of an inadequate people infrastructure and beyond the political affiliation. Motivated teachers will have to be mentors who fosters project-based learning through groups and team works along with vocational training. This is not an easy job. Home-schooling, another area that could be thought of in school education. Above all, the NEP needs to be based (not biased) on a clear purpose of education within the Indian multi-cultural and multi-religious context along with a practical pedagogical principles and methods.
The NEP has to set priority to foundational value-based learning. In the midst of religious intolerance, egotism, factionalism and bigoted nationalism along with the erosion of ethics and values, inter-religious studies (comparative religions), religious liberalism, moral values, practical spirituality and unity in diversity have to be taught right from the start. The NEP has to gear students towards service with empathy and affection and not fight, assimilate and not destroy, live together and not divide, build harmony and peace.
Living with a sense of ‘communion’ and brotherhood cannot be imposed from outside. The growth has to come from within, surrounded by a conducive environment with a ‘sense of the sacred’ through a psycho-physical and spiritual process of understanding. True education helps pupils to understand self and others, the society and its structures, people’s needs, rights, duties and responsibilities through discussions and dialogue.
Through the teachers’ personal examples, the core values e.g. respect, honesty, compassion and kindness, should be instilled into them. Knowledge, foundational values and skills have to go hand-in-hand. For, as many educationists hold, what one does with one’s heads and hands, enters the heart.
Fr. Soroj Mullick, SDB is a Salesian priest from the Kolkata Province. He has a Licentiate in Catechetics and a Doctorate (Christian Education) from UPS, Italy. He has number of years of teaching experience in college and in the formation of future priests. Besides, he has written number of research papers and articles, and has 25 years of Ministry in India and abroad as Educator, Formator, Retreat Preacher, Editor and engaged in School, Parish Catechetical & Youth Ministry. He is now an assistant priest in Bandel Basilica, rendering pastoral and catechetical ministry to the parishioners and to the pilgrims. He can be contacted at [email protected].