Ancient India’s ‘dharma darshan’ key to imparting ‘true education’: NCTE chairman

“The implementation of NEP, 2020 is on its course. Training programme for pre-primary teachers will start from April this year. The two-month training will emphasize on teaching-learning modules like learning by toys and activity. There will be focus on teaching children about their immediate surroundings,” Prof Saklani, told The Indian Express.

NCTE is the statutory body which coordinates and regulates teacher education throughout India and is responsible for maintaining norms and standards in this matter.
Prof Saklani, who is also director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), was the chief guest at the convocation where more than 1800 students graduated.

Prof Saklani said that the NEP will give thrust to early childhood care and education (ECCE). “In states where there is no formal pre-primary teaching in schools, anganwadis are serving the purpose. Therefore, the training for pre-primary teachers will also include anganwadi workers,” he said. He said that the syllabus for foundational education has been designed and ECCE is a crucial component of it.

“It includes how to draw children to schools and then teach them. Similarly, it also includes how teachers and others involved at this stage should interact with children and teach them,” Prof Saklani said, adding “The core is joyful learning and toy-based pedagogy, to teach children while they play and to help them connect with their immediate surroundings… This attachment will, in due course, translate into learning.”

He said that Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay reduced the Indian education system to ‘a factory producing babus (government officers).’

“Macaulay inflicted an injury on our education system. It was an ideological injury, causing us to deviate from our ideas and our universities started working as babu-production factories. But if we want to provide true education, we will have to refer to our ancient dharma darshan,” the NCERT director said, adding the NEP has incorporated 70 per cent of concepts enunciated by Mahatma Gandhi in Wardha Scheme of Education in 1937. Prof Saklani however defined dharma being different from religion.

“These days, people talk about dharma but don’t understand it. They compare dharma with religion and thus get it wrong. Religion is a sect and not dharma. For us, dharma is the Sanatan dharma which teaches us charaiveti charaiveti (keep moving)… satyam vad, dharmam char (speak truth and follow dharma). This is the big mantra in our darshan (philosophy),” he said.

The NCERT director also stressed on an education which will keep students connected to their roots and nature.