Though India produces scores of engineers and scientists, "value orientation" was missing in the education system due to neglect of great thoughts and ideas embodied in religious traditions of the country, Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Minister Karan Singh today said.
"There are great thoughts and great ideas in our religious traditions but we have thrown them out as a result of which value orientation is missing in our education system. And I think that is one of the great weaknesses, though India produces many engineers, many scientists and as many researchers," he said.
Singh, a senior Congress leader, was addressing the convocation of BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus.
"Science can be a big blessing...Science produces great vaccines and science also produces the hydrogen bomb. Science cannot be worshipped merely because it is science but how do you use it. You should have the wisdom to use that science. That is the point," the former Minister said.
"Education is not only enabling you to build an atom bomb and blow up the world. Education is trying to develop within yourself the courage, the compassion, the dignity, the understanding, the wisdom to use whatever knowledge you have," said the 84-year-old former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to a UNESCO report, he recommended following 4Ls to lead a meaningful life - 'Learning to Know, Learning to do, Learning to live together and Learning to be'. "These represent the holistic education philosophy which perhaps can be very useful for all Indian universities."
"Despite overall technological achievements we live in a shrinking world. The heritage of conflict and competition will have to make a way for a new culture of convergence and cooperation and the alarming gap within developing world has to be bridged," Singh added.
He further said "we live in an age of great turmoil and transition. The old is disappearing and the new is struggling to be born and we find ourselves precariously coiled between the vanishing past and an indeterminate future.
"At a time like this we need to look once again deeply into our own cultural heritage, to see what we can do to meet the changes of a rapidly developing world."
"I don't think it is possible for Government institutions alone to meet the educational needs of our people. We need a massive expansion of universities both public and private sector," he added.
