The long awaited educational policy that envisions creation of a shining India with enlightened citizens who are also effective stakeholders in the making of a global society is finally in place after 34 years. The methodology adopted by its makers is evidently participatory and democratic,considering the inputs and opinions that spread over diverse sections of the population, covering wide range of institutions. This proves that it is definitely a step towards integrating collective consciousness of a society seeking a paradigm shift.
It is an urgent need of the hour to create a paradigm shift in the value consciousness of the individuals who will inhabit and inherit , unfathomable changes in future society. India has to be ready to perceive these changes pragmatically , equipped through scientific temperament and high human values of universalism, equity and holism. The most important duty is not just creating instruments and institutions that can exploit resources of the planet to build fragmented empires with technological prowess. The real challenge is to create human beings capable of reaching the highest potentials embedded in humanity, who will participate and lead the creation of instruments of technology.
Education today is no more limited to accumulation of information. It has moved on from information collection to knowledge seeking for iirradication if ignorance.The highly developed technological intervention through ICT has ensured that every kind of information is brought to the palm of our hand. The role of education and educators have to be most in realms of augmented intelligence, capacity of effective discrimination by which a haphazard body of information can be sorted in a way that it can be effectively instrumentalized and implemented to meet the highest human ideals, and values towards service.
In aligning with this objectives , I am happy to see that the new education has has given significant emphasis to technology enabled educational model, that ensures flexibility , choice, and decision making capacity in students in higher education , at the same time emphasizing creativity, nurturing and grooming through experiential learning and participatory learning in primary and middle school.
The pragmatic utility of distance learning has proved to be an extremely innovative and important means of delivering education under the prevailing pandemic situation. Unfortunately , before the pandemic , the high potential of ODL went largely unexplored due to the lack of merit levelling between conventional and ODL system.
By integrating, open and choice based learning through Econtent delivery, online classes in the conventional mode of education, the new education policy has proved to be timely, appropriate , pragmatic and solution focused.
