Vedic Education

The country’s first recognized board for Vedic education -- the

Bharatiya Shiksha Board – moved a step closer to becoming a reality

this week,

with a selection committee accepting proposals of private players

https://www.news18.com/news/india/ramdev-may-head-first-vedic-

education-board-after-govt-panel-picks-patanjali-2047289.html

for its establishment.

One party almost certainly has the winner bid to develop the Board.

Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust may well be the

organization helming this -- if it is the final choice of the governing

council. Developing the Board would involve providing money, as also

infrastructure facilities for the headquarters.

Reportedly, the BSB will ensure standardization of Indian traditional

knowledge -- Vedic education, Sanskrit education, Shastras, etc. --

and it will also draft syllabus, conduct exams, issue certificates and

recognize Gurukulas and schools that offer a blend of Vedic and

modern education. Just like a CBSE, the Board will charge an

affiliation fee and examination fee from schools.

This is a step in the right direction as the above-mentioned schools

will now get quality standards that they need to adhered to, both in

Vedic as well as modern education – which once done, will improve

their credibility and worth.

However, there is need to look at a Bharatiya Shiksha Board in a

wider perspective. One that can fulfill Shri Aurobindo’s dream of a

“National Education”, which Aurobindo thought “is next to Self-

government, and along with it, the deepest need of the country.”

The need for Indians to understand, respect and practice their own

culture has been acknowledged not just by our freedom fighters then,

but an increasing number of intellectuals now, apart from citizens,

even millennials. And hence, the increasing emphasis on a system

that “blends Indic knowledge and traditions with Western education,

which would benefit Indians”.

News website Wire.in, for instance, in an article that was otherwise

skeptical https://thewire.in/education/govt-body-okays-new-board-to-

standardise-vedic-education regarding the idea of a Vedic Board, still

did acknowledge that “In the last decade or so, genetic, archaeological

and anthropological studies have been showing that India is one of

very few countries whose modern peoples are almost directly

descended from their ancient counterparts. So when Indian schools

teach our students about our biological history, the evolution of our

cultures and our various sources of knowledge over many millennia,

we as a people have a lot to gain.”

So, when we talk of a new Board that aims to blend modern and Vedic

knowledge, it should actually go beyond Gurukulas and paathshalas.

Four years ago, Baba Ramdev had proposed a similar education

Board, with the final aim of setting up 600-700 schools across the

country that would make the education system Indian, with students

graduating “behaving as rishis” – as reported by India Today.

Baba Ramdev is already running a school in Hardwar on these lines --

Acharyakulam, a residential school – which offers education on

subjects like the Vedas and Upanishads and lays emphasis on values,

yoga etc., apart from regular subjects like English, Science, etc.

We also know that many educational institutions, including the IITs,

have been imparting bits of training ancient Indian knowledge -- as

courses or as workshops. So, the need is undisputed.

Now, to devise a working proposal to this end. While Indian traditional

knowledge and cultural base is important, so is a worldwide view, with

proficiency in subjects that form the current knowledge base and

discourse. Given global settings, the need of the hour is to develop our

children as world-class citizens.

Education must serve the purposes of helping citizens find careers and

also create a mindset that wants to help society and the nation. It

needs to build character and inner strength. In addition, education of

any country should be such that it arms children with adequate

knowledge about various facets of their own culture.

The HRD ministry may want to further fine-tune its exact requirements

to this end. Whereas the Vedic Board or BSB is a step towards the

standardization for Indian traditional knowledge, we need to go

beyond just learning the Vedas.

A ‘Board’ or rather an entire education program is the need of the hour

– one that will help not just educational outcomes, but also build

character and resilience. Good quality education, with wholesome

education for the head, heart and body, should be available to

everyone – it should be every child’s birthright.

In setting up such schools, it may be remembered that the existing

traditional-modern-blend systems may not fit the bill, being perceived

as inherently exclusive. Acharyakulam, for instance, charges Rs 2 lakh

per child per annum -- so affordability is already an issue. The RSS

schools would be considered exclusive for other obvious reasons.

Further, the quality of education will matter: unless convinced of the

infallibility of the high standard of the curriculum – one that will fetch

them employment -- students and their parents may not end up opting

for these.

So, what is the way to create a good National Education system, one

that convinces people?

Recent news reports

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/economy/a-harvard-

and-yale-in-india-hrd-ministry-relooks-proposal-to-allow-foreign-

institutes-to-enter-india-3580151.html

Mentioned that the MHRD was looking to revive a proposal to allow

international institutes to set up campuses in India, so that Indian

students get the best educational facilities within the country.

Or, the recent pact between AIIMS and a London-based institution for

research collaboration

https://www.hindustantimes.com/education/aiims-and-university-

college-london-ink-pact-for-research-collaborations/story-

kH3Q5BoxkTLPTbQHmTLXcJ.html

While the above are for business and higher education, can’t we also

think of similar collaborative ventures for primary and secondary

education?

A Hong Kong-based school chain bought over all five branches of a

popular international school in Hyderabad called Oakridge. Nord

Anglia, the buyer company, already has over 60,000 students in

schools across Asia, Europe, US and the middle East.

All these developments open up several possibilities. Without doubt,

such schools bring with them the best in Western discipline and

professionalism, which we could gain from. So, parents would be keen

for their children to get this kind of exposure.

Yet, admittedly, these would be expensive. What if the government

were to partly fund every child’s education?

Could we then have a chain of such `joint-venture’ schools in every city

in each state?

With a carefully-devised course content

Courses in Math, science and social sciences and other latest

developments on the one hand, and standardized education in curated

Indian knowledge and traditions on the other.

The Indian course content would need to be devised carefully, so that

the child learns about the culture and its merits; patriotism would then

flow automatically.

Learning in the mother tongue could be made compulsory and that

would include nursery rhymes in the lower grades, to literature in the

higher grades.

Sanskrit and English proficiency would begin from the primary school

years.

Learning the Vedas need not be an end in itself. Rather, knowledge

from various Sanskrit texts, along with exposure to the world’s best

literature and philosophy would enrich them.

Sports, creative and fine arts, Yoga, etc. and other activities would be

essential, to educate the body and the senses. Incorporating all this

into the curriculum would mean residential schools that allow for time

spent at school.

Of course, all teachers would need to be trained appropriately – and in

a standardized manner – from the best in the subject(s).

The important thing to remember here is that it will have to be an

amalgamation of foreign educational institutions and exposure to

Indian knowledge and texts -- in the mother tongue and Sanskrit

equally.

Such a system is sure to find greater acceptability among all categories

of Indians. And one that will benefit the maximum number. That may

come closer to meet Shri Aurobindo’s expectations of a “National

Education” – national, both in terms of content as also its reach and

applicability.

This, any system of education that the country lends its name to,

should aspire for.

Some ideas taken from “Education System in India (A Reappraisal)” by

Sivananda Murty, a scholar, thinker, writer, visionary and great patriot