Future of Education, Future of Nation

India has long been celebrated as Vishwaguru (World Teacher) and was once known as Sone ki Chidiya (The Golden Bird) for its unmatched prosperity. This success was largely attributed to great educators like Acharya Chanakya, Guru Dronacharya, Maharishi Ved Vyas, etc. These visionary teachers were not just purveyors of knowledge but also the architects of society's moral and ethical foundation, guiding students toward skill based leadership, wisdom, and righteousness. Their contributions laid the cornerstone for India's rich cultural, intellectual, and spiritual heritage.

However, with the passage of time and repeated invasions & foreign rule, India's economic prosperity as well as rich cultural moral values began to erode. This decline also affected the educational vision of teachers who lost sight of their greater responsibility as nation-builders and started viewing education merely as a profession for livelihood. But, as the country discuss nation-reconstruction today, it is essential to refocus on future of education and the revival of moral values and it is the teacher who still hold the immense potential to transform the education system and restore it for the betterment of the nation.

What needs to be done is to reconstruct our country's education system and ground it in our ancient knowledge. This doesn’t imply regressing to past centuries, but rather shows how India can lead by integrating modernity with its rich heritage. One such initiative in this direction is NEP 2020, which has the potential to liberate the Indian education system from the clutches of the Lord Macaulay framework.

Macaulay justified the use of English as the medium of instruction and the teaching of Western education to Indians, whereas on the other hand NEP 2020 has re-emphasized the importance of bringing back the use of regional languages in education. NEP 2020 outlines many groundbreaking initiatives, but the realization of its potential depends heavily on the passion & dedication of teachers.

Another crucial step is for us, as citizens, to restore the esteemed status of the teaching profession in the educational institutions as well in the society. NEP 2020 also emphasizes this need, stating that “…The new education policy must help re-establish teachers, at all levels, as the most respected and essential members of our society, because they truly shape our next generation of citizens.” Government will have to take definitive steps towards a rational society as visualised by Lee Iacocca -?

“In a?completely rational society, teachers would be at the tip of the pyramid, not near the bottom.?In that society, the best of us would be teachers and the rest of us would have to settle for something else”.

The purpose of education has unfortunately been misconstrued as merely acquiring extensive academic knowledge and obtaining degrees. Before the arrival of the British, India was a model of an economic and social system founded on self-reliance. This self-reliance was achieved through practical training that developed vocational skills tailored to individuals' aptitudes. However, in the pursuit of mass education, on Macaulay's recommendations this valuable vocational training structure was dismantled. In recent years, the government has launched several programs such as "Vocal for Local," "Make in India," and "Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan" etc. However, these initiatives will be ineffective unless universities shift their focus from simply awarding degrees to emphasizing skill-based education and supporting vocational skills.

"Hope is not a strategy."

Dr. Sanjay Modi, a distinguished educationist, asserts that "Hope is not a strategy." Simply hoping for change in the education system is not enough. However, if teachers commit to leading this transformation, they can both restore the revered status of the 'Guru' and help India reclaim its role as Vishwaguru.

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