Education system should meet formidable challenges of 21st century: Naidu

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said he sees an imminent need to reimagine, reinvent and re-engineer the entire education system to effectively meet the many formidable challenges of the 21st century

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday said he sees an imminent need to reimagine, reinvent and re-engineer the entire education system to effectively meet the many formidable challenges of the 21stcentury.

He said the New Education Policy-2020 would facilitate India to fully realise the demographic dividend and make the country a knowledge and innovation hub in the 21stcentury.

Addressing the 21st foundation daycelebrations of Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence via video, he underscored that the cultivation of excellence takes discipline, single-minded focus and determined effort.

At this critical juncture in our journey as a nation, excellence is imperative and mediocrity is no longer an option, he stressed.

He said Swami Vivekananda told the world about the importance of the ancient Indian philosophy of Vedanta and the spirit of universality, tolerance and acceptance that underpins ancient Indian thought.

Vivekananda understood the soul of the nation and the ethos of its culture and endeavoured to rebuild it on the noblest ideals that were enshrined in its spiritual foundations of Sanatana Dharma, Naidu said.

He (Vivekananda) worked tirelessly for national transformation through religious purification, spiritual emancipation and social regeneration, he said.

Observing that Swamiji's teachings remain eternal edicts to the whole world to this day, he urged youngsters to study the life and words of Vivekananda and follow his message with heart and soul.

He also opined that we need many more educational institutions that will take the universal teachings of giants like Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Pramahamsa and their interpretations closer to the common man.

The vice president said that he saw an imminent need to reimagine, reinvent and re-engineer the entire education system, if we are to effectively meet the many formidable challenges of the 21stcentury, an official statement said.

Reminding of the demographic dividend that lay before India, he asserted that the nation must not fail to leverage this great competitive advantage.

He emphasised that education is meant not only to make a living and live a comfortable life.

What is more important is education must enable an individual to become a well-rounded person with grit, moral courage, equanimity, empathy and spiritual strength. Education is meant to enlighten and empower an individual, he said.

The vice president highlighted the need to fosterinnovation, encourage entrepreneurial ability and a deepen awareness of our country's rich heritage.

He said thateducation must result in the creation of an integrated person, a person who is empathetic, active, competent, humble and hardworking, a person who is open to new ideas, tolerant to different viewpoints and committed to world peace and collaborative, collective human progress.

He opined that education must help the youth develop critical thinking faculties, clearly identify the problems that plague humanity and come up with definitive solutions.

Naidu said that the new education policy reflects the ideals of ivekananda. He expressed confidence that the policy would facilitate India to fully realise the demographic dividend and make the country a knowledge and innovation hub in the 21stcentury.