On this Teachers Day I salute all our teachers who have been instrumental in making us what we are today. I firmly believe that it is the teachers who are really the makers of future Bharat and future world.
By teachers, I do not mean only the teachers at school or
institutes of higher learning. The initial teachers are at home itself. In
fact, according to one theory, the learning starts from the time a child is
conceived and the mother is the first teacher.
According to me it is the first few years which really shape the
life of an individual. We often hear that it’s the sacraments (sanskars) that
has shaped a person in a particular fashion to build character of the
individual. Who gives these ‘sanskars’? It’s the parents at home, it’s the
environment in which the individual has grown and it’s the teachers in the
initial years of schooling, in particular.
The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) has a
new pedagogical and curricular structure in which the most important, according
to me, are the Foundational and Preparatory stages. The other two stages being
Middle, 3 years in Class 6, 7 and 8 for children in the age group of 11 to 14;
and Secondary, 4 years in Class 9 to 12 for the age group of 14 to 18. The new
structure is 5+3+3+4.
In the Foundational stage NEP has sub
categorized it in 3 years at Anganwadi, pre-school or Bal Vatikas for children
in the 3 to 6 age group and 2 years in Class 1 & 2 for children in the age
group of 6 to 8 years.
In the Preparatory stage NEP has prescribed 3
years in Class 3, 4 and 5 for children in the 8 to 11 years age group.
It is in these initial years that the
‘sanskars’ are imbibed. In the NEP also this quality of an individual is
mentioned. In one of the principles among the several fundamental principles that will guide both the education system at
large, as well as the individual institutions within it includes ethics and
human & Constitutional values like empathy, respect for others,
cleanliness, courtesy, democratic spirit, spirit of service, respect for public
property, scientific temper, liberty, responsibility, pluralism, equality, and
justice as one.
In these two stages, Foundational
and Preparatory, the teachers here have to be just exclusive. These teachers
must be better trained in all spheres. Even the subject that they teach, have
to be oriented towards making the child a better human being. Examples for the
prescribed curriculum should be so chosen that it gives the right message to
the child. Many educationists have done exemplary work in this direction.
Giving here a few
examples of how some organizations are working to make the youngsters, the future
of Bharat, a better human being. There must be many more such examples.
I know of Ekal
Vidyalaya movement which has its presence in more than a lakh villages, where
education is given in an informal manner to children upto the age of 14. Some
28 lakh children attend these One Teacher Schools. Their motto is to provide
education through games. They call it Khel Khel Mein Siksha (खेल खेल में शिक्षा). Ekal has even gone
digital in many areas. Giving ‘sanskar’ or value and
ethics based education is their primary belief. For more information visit their website www.ekal.org.
Similarly in around
13,000 formal schools of Vidya Bharati ‘sanskar’ and value/ethics education
starts from very initial classes and continues till Class 12. On their rolls
are some 32 lakh students. Their academic achievements are also good with many rank
holders in different states around the country. It is believed that
value/ethics based education acts as catalysts for these good results. For more information visit their website
www.vidyabharti.net.
There is a voluntary organization - HEMA Foundation. The
foundation looks to enlighten children about the key roles played by parents
and society in shaping them into fine individuals. It aims to cultivate better
and compassionate understanding of their responsibilities towards Self, Family,
Society, the Nation at large, and help them become better human beings.
They have produced a number of videos on the subject. HEMA stands for Humane Endeavour For Moral
Awakening. For more information visit their website www.hemafoundation.org
The government has announced the NEP. They have set the ball
rolling. Now it is the responsibility of the society, each one of us, to see
that we provide best of education with values to the coming generation, future
of Bharat.
EDUCATION WITHOUT VALUES IS OF NO VALUE.
