An Enormous Task

Humanity is at the cross roads. The way ahead is rather confusing and confronting. Giant leaps in technology, upsurge in material comforts, distortion in priorities, erosion of values, perverted ethics, deteriorations in human relations and supremacy of money power over everything else are just a few of the contributory factors.

Degeneration of human character is at the core of the issue. Here, character encompasses many things. It is the sum total of one’s outlook, orientation, priorities, approach, values, level of tolerance, equanimity, treatment of fellow beings, beliefs and the like. The only source of solace and hope for humanity is people with character, people with a kind heart and tolerance, people who hold on to ethics and values, who do not consider money power to be everything else. Though this may perhaps sound to be an anachronistic viewpoint to some, it is an indisputable and plain fact.

Talking about India, the solution to the problem lies in nothing but our education system. Unless education starts giving a strong impetus on inculcating values among the youth, in equipping them to understand things in the correct perspective, the nation has little to hope. A total revamping of the education system is what the country needs. The curricula of studies should be drastically re-structured.  Ethics and values should get the same place and importance in the curriculum as science, technology, economics, history or political science from the elementary school level itself. Ethics and values should become a paramount criterion in assessing an individual’s personality as well as suitability for any vocation.

The constitution of a nine-member panel headed by the renowned space scientist K Kasturirangan with experts and educationists from wide-ranging backgrounds as the panel members, by the HRD Ministry, Government of India a few months back to frame a new National Education Policy (NEP), is a step in the right direction. Without any bias, it can be said that this is one of the most important initiatives taken by the present Government at the centre, which however has not received the required media highlighting. Needless to mention that the task of this committee is enormous and phenomenal, given the gravity and complexity of the matter and inasmuch as it is expected to trigger a cultural transformation and is a question of rebuilding the character of the future Indians, of the future India. That says it.