EDUCATION SHOULD BE A PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE, NOT JUST A TICKET TO EMPLOYMENT: LALIT GARG

EDUCATION SHOULD BE A PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE, NOT JUST A TICKET TO EMPLOYMENT: LALIT GARG

24-JAN-ENG 24

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA---------------------------World Education Day is not merely a celebration, but an opportunity for introspection, a moment to reflect on what education is, who it is for, and in what direction it is leading society. In this context, India is not just a country, but a living civilization that has never considered education merely a means of employment or information, but rather a process of life-building, character formation, and self-realization. Today, as the world stands at an unprecedented juncture of knowledge, technology, and artificial intelligence, India's ancient Gurukul tradition and its educational principles can become the foundation for global leadership. This year's theme is 'The Power of Youth in Co-creating Education,' which focuses on the importance of education for peace and development. This day is celebrated to highlight education as a fundamental right and future capital, so that poverty can be eradicated, gender equality can be achieved, and quality education can be ensured for all. This is especially necessary because millions of children and young people are deprived of education, and this day emphasizes the crucial role of youth.

This day, declared by the United Nations, celebrates the role of education for peace and development. It establishes education as a fundamental human right, a public good, and a responsibility. This day emphasizes the need for education to break the cycle of poverty and achieve gender equality. This day considers education as the greatest capital of the future, which can lead society out of darkness and prepare the builders of the future. The core principle of India's ancient education tradition was - "Sa Vidya Ya Vimuktaye," meaning that is true knowledge which liberates. In the Gurukuls, education was not limited to bookish knowledge; it was a synthesis of conduct, discipline, harmony with nature, guru-disciple dialogue, and life skills. The guru was not merely a subject teacher, but a visionary of life, and the disciple was not just a student who passed exams, but a responsible citizen towards society. By living in the ashram system, the student developed a holistic personality through service, labor, meditation, logic, and experimentation. This education system taught self-reliance, fostered a sense of coexistence rather than competition, and connected knowledge to life.

During the colonial period, this holistic education system was systematically dismantled. Lord Macaulay's education system aimed not at educating Indians, but at producing "clerks" for the administration—people who were English in thought but Indian in appearance. This system separated education from life, severed language from its roots, and made knowledge rote-based, mark-oriented, and job-focused. Unfortunately, even after independence, India remained trapped in the same framework for a long time. Schools and universities increased, but the soul of education weakened. The number of degrees increased, but the crisis of skills, ethics, and innovation deepened. Independent India's education system did make some positive efforts—public universities, scientific institutions, technical education—but on a broader level, education became increasingly disconnected from the needs of society. Curricula became burdensome, examinations became memory-based, and teacher-student interaction was reduced to a mere formality. Education became a ticket to employment, not a philosophy of life. This is why even today, educated youth are struggling with aimlessness, unemployment, and mental stress. Against this backdrop, the National Education Policy 2020, introduced under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, emerges as a decisive turning point. This policy signifies not just structural reforms, but a paradigm shift. It emphasizes making Indian languages ​​the medium of instruction, multidisciplinary studies, freedom from rote learning, skill development, research, innovation, and moral education. This policy is clearly a step towards moving away from Macaulay's education system—where the purpose of education is not merely a job, but the creation of competent, creative, and sensitive human beings.

The emphasis on skill development, experiential learning, sports, arts, and vocational education in the new education policy, and the breaking down of rigid subject boundaries in higher education—all these steps are like a modern reinterpretation of the Gurukul tradition. The insistence on education in the mother tongue not only strengthens cognitive development but also restores cultural confidence. This policy provides an opportunity to re-establish the Indian knowledge tradition—yoga, Ayurveda, philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy—in a global context. However, it must be acknowledged that the gap between policy and implementation remains a significant challenge. The expectations of comprehensive transformation are yet to be fully realized. Education must truly become a center for skill development, where students not only learn but also do, think, and solve problems. Education must move beyond textbooks and rote learning to become the foundation of life-long development. Teachers must be restored to their role as "Gurus"—guides, motivators, and companions on the learning journey.

In the age of technological advancement, innovation, and AI, the Indian education system faces a dual challenge. On the one hand, it must become competitive globally—leading in digital literacy, data science, and technology. On the other hand, it must also safeguard human values, compassion, ethics, and social responsibility. If education only teaches technology and not wisdom, it can become an instrument of destruction. India's strength lies in its ability to teach a balance of science and spirituality, technology and philosophy, innovation and ethics. The education system has the potential to give the world a new philosophy and a new educational paradigm, where education is not consumption but a spiritual practice; where knowledge is not power but service; and where competition coexists with cooperation. The spirit of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" (the world is one family) can become the most relevant mantra for global education today.

The human being and human society of the 21st century cannot be complete with only technological proficiency or economic progress. Its structure will remain incomplete until education is mature, holistic, and value-based. Today, the world needs innovative human beings who are endowed with spiritual consciousness and are also scientifically competent. The nature of education should be such that knowledge does not remain merely information, but expands wisdom, compassion, and responsibility. Value-based education makes a person humane, and yoga education provides self-control, balance, and insight. The combination of these two can give rise to an education that directs the individual not towards self-centeredness, but towards the welfare of the world. Many spiritual saints and great personalities of India have seriously contemplated and deliberated on this subject to give education a holistic perspective.

The great philosopher-saint Acharya Shri Mahapragya has presented a comprehensive philosophy and plan in the form of the science of life to give completeness to education. According to him, the future of humanity depends on the harmonious development of labor, economics, and self-restraint. Labor and economics are the fundamental and practical aspects of life, which ensure the dynamism and self-reliance of society; while self-restraint is the spiritual aspect of life, which stops the blind race of consumerism and establishes balance and peace. If education or training is not built on these three foundations, then the wholeness of life remains merely an illusion. Therefore, the objective of education should not be merely job creation, but the creation of a human being who is hardworking, economically conscious, and self-controlled – this is the foundation of holistic education, a holistic human being, and a holistic society. If India can revive the spirit of its ancient Gurukul tradition in a modern context, translate the new education policy into practical reality, and connect education with life, society, and nature, it will undoubtedly be able to guide the world. This is not just a need for India, but a need for humanity. On World Education Day, India's message could be that education should make humans, not machines; it should make them sensitive, not just skilled; and it should prepare them not only for the present, but also for the future.