What ails our education system? Why have education standards fallen? Why doesn’t a single Indian university figure among the 200 top universities in the world? These and other questions dog our educationists of whom we have no dearth in the country. Certainly something is wrong somewhere in the entire educational system that is in vogue. We need to identify the reasons for a downslide in educational system and the emergence of imbalanced personalities from the institutions of education and learning.
The debate is triggered by the message of the President to the students of Central University of Odisha via video conferencing. The President addressed the youth of the country focusing on the important role that awaits them once they have completed education and are stepping into active participation in building India of our dreams. Nearly half of the population of our country comprises the youth below 35 years of age. This is enormous man power that would do wonders if harnessed in right direction. The strength of a nation lies in its youth. In that sense our country has tremendous potentiality to grow and become a strong country. Fortunately, we have a democratic system of governance which is highly conducive to the growth of the creative initiative among the youth. The President is very right in saying that our democracy has the potential to do wonders and we should not be deterred by temporary difficulties that crop up here or there. We have to look at our future in a holistic manner. There are no two words about what the President has said about the declining values of life and education in our country in contemporary times. It is a great historical fact that our traditional system of knowledge was based on high moral and ethical values. The important ingredient of that system was renunciation of attachment to material world. Unfortunately, that value system has suffered erosion and the result is that our youth are growing in a structure that is unable to provide them the opportunity of developing their personality and individuality. Plant men if you want to plant for centuries, go a Chinese axiom. A country develops only if its youth are men and women of character and integrity. These essentials are framed and solidified in the institutions of higher education and learning.
The real strength of a democratic system lies in the type of leadership it can give to a nation. There is no denial that our leadership has suffered erosion of faith. The leadership was supposed to become the beacon light for the nation but alas it has not, rather has been misleading in more ways. The President has rightly laid stress on the innovative capability of our youth and for that science and technology are the fundamental instruments. Our present system of education at higher level does not make our youth capable of developing strong innovative faculty. And without that faculty we cannot progress according to our needs. It will be reminded that the Prime Minister also stressed on Indian youth in technical institutes paying full attention to innovative faculty. Our Universities have to make good input in developing innovation as the instrument in the hands of the youth.
The message of the President is a path-finder for the community of students in our universities. But credit should also be given to the President for reminding the youth about the responsibility which they owe to the nation that provides those facilities and scope for attaining highest levels of knowledge. There cannot be privileges without responsibilities. It is for the students of this country to know and to understand that they have to shoulder weighty responsibilities of leading the country to the destination of material and spiritual accomplishments. We are the citizens of a country that is a mosaic of cultures, languages and ethnicities. It is of utmost importance that our youth are brought up with a clear and radiant vision of a pluralistic society. We need to learn that we cannot live in isolation and that peaceful co-existence among all citizens of India is the real strength behind this vast ocean of humanity.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel