New Delhi: The Rashtriya Swayam-sevak Sangh affiliate Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal, which claims to be “working with the objective of national resurgence in the field of education”, has suggested the introduction of a paper on “Bharat Bodh” (The idea of Bharat) from Class 5 till post-graduation, which may even be extended to professional courses like medicine and engineering.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mukul Kanitkar, national organising secretary of the Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal, said: “We have been advocating a Bharatiya knowledge system and liberal arts education, talks about a paper on ‘Bharat Bodh — Idea of Bharat’, which includes the geo-political and cultural realities and diversities of the nation. A 100-marks paper right from Class 5 till the post-graduation level has been recommended in the liberal part of education,” Mr Kanitkar said.
“All professional studies must have 50 per cent of liberal education. This liberal education is the education of life, rather than of a subject. We have always been saying that an engineer, doctor or lawyer should also become a good human being,” he added, hoping the National Education Policy draft envisages that.
The BSM was actively giving its opinion, taking part in and organising discussions of various stakeholders on the impending National Education Policy. In 2013, the BSM published a book Bharatiya Education Outline, which was circulated throughout the country, translated into over 10 languages, and discussions were conducted.
“More than 4.5 lakh people were contacted, out of which 1.25 lakh people gave their opinions. After considering these opinions, we made modifications in our draft and Bharatiya Education Outline was presented first to the T.S.R. Subramaniam Committee and then Kasturirangan Committee. We are very happy almost 60 per cent of our recommendations were accepted in the NEP draft that was published on May 30 by the human resources development ministry,” he added.
The senior leader noted that the Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal has been working on framing an ideal education policy from 1974 onwards. “We prepared the first draft in 1974 after consulting over 3,000 academics and educationists across the world. In 1978, it was presented to the Central government and all state governments. In 1984, we reworked that framework for education and presented it to the committee which was framing a new education policy in 1986. Many of our suggestions like vocational education in schools were accepted by the 1986 education policy,” he pointed out.
Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal was founded in 1969 and claims to be working with the objective of national resurgence in the field of education. Among its stated aims are evolving a National Education Policy, as well as a curriculum, system and methodology based on integral Bharatiya vision rooted in its eternal ethos and centered on the country’s overall development.
