Education should not be used as tool for exploitation: Javadekar

Education should be used for the benefit of humanity and not as a tool of exploitation, Union minister Prakash Javadekar said here today.

The minister stressed that education is an indispensable instrument for social change and national development and should be designed to empower the minds of students to generate new ideas.

Delivering his address at the 44th annual convocation of Guru Nanak Dev University here, the minister said that investment in education is largely aimed at bringing economic prosperity for the nation and its people.

"The design of education should be such that students are able to develop life skills and professional skills which empower their minds to generate new ideas and take decisions that are good for them and for the nation at large," he said.

Talking about his Ministry of Human Resource Development, he said that 20 schemes are running at present to cater to the needs of a diverse range of learner at various levels.

Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan are a step forward towards universalization of school education, he said.

He said that SWAYAM (study webs of active learning for young aspiring minds) is a new programme introduced by his ministry to deliver massive open online courses.

These are aimed to achieve access, equity and quality and to bring the best teaching and learning resources to everyone's doorstep, including the underprivileged.

He said that swayam prabha, a group of 32 DTH channels which are devoted to the telecast of high-quality educational programmes 24x7, is another successful effort.

New content is added on daily basis with a repeat telecast five times a day, allowing the learner to choose the time at their convenience, he said.

Javadekar told students to get ready to face the challenges of the outside world with the values imparted by the varsity.

He said education should be used for the benefit of humanity and not as a tool of exploitation and control