Dr. JOSHI SUGGESTS INTERNATIONAL
MEET ON CURRICULUM
The Minister for
Human Resource Development and Science & Technology, Dr. Murli
Manohar Joshi has urged the NCERT to convene an international
meet on educational curriculum. This is to discuss all aspects
relating to education, especially for creating a human values
based global society, peace-loving, non-violent and free of conflicts.
This aim can be achieved only through education that is free from
market forces and profit-motives. Dr. Joshi was speaking at a
function organised to mark the 42nd Foundation Day
of the NCERT. He also released a book on value education and another
important book on "Fallacies in IHC Report". The books mark an
important milestone in NCERT's mission to modernise school education
and make it India-centric. The book on IHC Report gives a sound
rebuttal to the Indian History Congress resolution passed at Chandigarh
in December 2002, criticising NCERT's books on History and Social
Science.
Dr. Joshi said, NCERT
is a professional institution of repute and is always ready to
accommodate legitimate criticism with a view to improving the
quality of its books. It has sold over 4.5 crore books this year.
The job done by NCERT over the years will herald a new dawn in
the educational system in India, he said.
Describing the NCERT
as an agent of educational change in India,. Dr. Joshi wondered
why we should understand about us and our history and heritage
through the western eyes. There are sections in the country which
do not know much about India when we are going to get out of this
western-web? Why so much opposition for change in curriculum for
making it India-centric and projecting the reality? It is for
us to decide what kind of education system we should have and
the kind of society we want to build, Dr. Joshi averred.
Turning to western
concept of education Dr. Joshi said it is skill based, market-oriented
and lacks in value system. Education should be rather value based,
job-creative and not job-oriented. Being literate alone is not
enough, added Dr. Joshi.
The Director NCERT,
Dr. R.S.Rajput vowed to take school education to greater heights
of excellence. He said the changes made will go a long way in
helping the out-of-school children and those not doing so well,
as well as in successful implementation of the "Sarv Siksha Abhiyan."
