Education, Policy

By Kartik Lokhande

“There can be no denying that the existing system of education was shaped by non-nationals in non-national interests. Macauley is primarily responsible for our existing educational methods and ideals... Dazzled by the achievements of the West, it (education system) has at times encouraged a tendency to disown or look down upon our national heritage. It has also tended to encourage fissiparous tendencies. The greatest charge against the present system of education is that it has not led to the development of a national mind.”

These may appear to be the lamentations of the contemporary generation, disenchanted with the state of the education system and standards in the country. Because there is a general impression, and rightly so, that the prevailing education system has failed to play its critical part in human development. These are not the conditions just typical to our times. Venerable leaders and thinkers of the past felt similarly about the systemic failure. The foregoing telling observation was made by none other than one of the intellectual giants and the first Education Minister of independent India, ‘Bharat Ratna’ Maulana Abul Kalam Azad way back in 1947.
Back then, Azad’s lamentations were based mostly on the experience during the British Raj. While expressing the lament, he had also underlined that the education system in independent India should be such that it shaped ‘national mind’. In the past 67 years, two Education Policies (1968 and 1986) have ushered in many changes in the education system. However, have they been successful in what Azad referred to as shaping of ‘national mind’? This question assumes significance against the backdrop of the recent announcement of Union HRD Minister Mrs. Smriti Irani that the Government will bring out a new Education Policy.
The answer to the question, in view of policy-makers, could be ‘yes’. However, the answer could be a big ‘no’ if one considers the general perception of students, parents, researchers, and even teachers. For, almost everyone agrees that the Education Policies have not been effective in removing the influence of ‘Macauley-era educational methods and ideals’. For, everyone agrees that the Education Policies so far have ushered in mere changes in tools and curriculum but not the systemic changes based on Indian culture. If the element of culture is missing from the core of Education Policy, the result of implementation of such a policy will be equivalent to that of carrying forward with system planted by Macauley.
Macauley had a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve. He had a mission to create Indian nationals loyal to the non-nationals (British). He thought from the point of view of a ruler. As a result, English replaced several Indian languages as a medium of instruction and learning. The Indian idea of ‘knowledge without barriers’ and ancient wisdom promoted world-wide during the period of Nalanda and Takshashila universities, got gradually influenced, and then dominated, by the foreign ideal of ‘learning for earning’ and counting achievements in material terms. Indians themselves started disowning and looking down upon cultural values and national heritage, while adopting the Western ideals.
This created a neo-educated class that had no connect with fellow countrymen. Those who got educated created a within-country cultural divide that came to be known as ‘India vs Bharat’. The idea of ‘learning for earning’ was rooted deeper with the emphasis on ‘equipping students with skills needed by industry’ in education policies. This increased more focus on scoring than on learning a subject properly.
Thus, India has become a nation with countless students passing out from various universities, but lacking thorough knowledge of a subject. Among those who gain employment on the basis of ‘employable skills’, many fail to respond successfully to a situation that demands proper application of knowledge-wisdom combination that comes from thorough knowledge of a subject. Thus, people get high-paying jobs but only a few can retain them and succeed in setting their own bench-mark in a given field. Most of the lot just does given jobs for the sake of earning salary, and not to excel. This brings in the factor of stagnation in various sectors, which ultimately affects national growth. Others, who have craving for learning, tend to shift to other countries. They contribute productively to the growth of those countries.
One may easily blame the unnamed ‘system’ for things coming to such a pass. But, the root cause is lack of education system that will create a ‘national mind’. Of course, one can always expect positive change with every new announcement like the one made by Union HRD Minister Mrs. Smriti Irani. However, if education system is to be revamped, restoration of the ideal of shaping a ‘national mind’ working for the nation with the help of own-nationals, is needed. To achieve this goal, several changes will have to be effected. These may include replacing ‘culture of scoring’ with ‘culture of learning’, halting blind adoption of Western concepts, revisiting Indian values in education, restorating the element of ‘mission’ in the ‘profession’ of teaching, and tackling commercialisation of education.
Of course, all these are tough challenges. It will require dogged determination to incorporate these goals in new Education Policy. But, this will have to be done. For, it is high time we gave emphasis to shaping the character, which the first Education Minister -- the venerable  Maulana Abul Kalam Azad -- referred to as ‘national mind’.
For, there can be no other character of education than creating a society with character.

(22-11-14)