National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, a watershed moment in the history of modern education, is going to complete three years in the next month. Designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century, especially keeping the youth in mind, the aims and objectives of the NEP 2020 are lofty and far-reaching. If we decode the NEP-2020, one of its major goals is the ‘character building’ of students. The very first page of the policy document mentions, “Education must build character, enable learners to be ethical, rational, compassionate, and caring”. This is reiterated again, on the same page, “This Policy proposes the revision and revamping of all aspects of the education structure …, while building upon India’s traditions and value systems” so as “to develop all aspects and capabilities of learners; and make education more well-rounded”. In the ‘Principles of the Policy’, it is emphasised further, “The purpose of the education system is to develop good human beings capable of rational thought and action, possessing compassion and empathy, courage and resilience, scientific temper and creative imagination, with sound ethical moorings and values.”
Character building and holistic personality development reflecting the Indian value system, in fact, have been important goals of Vidya or Shiksha in the Indian thought tradition
It is not a coincidence that along with the announcement of NEP-2020, the ‘Ministry of Human Resource Development’ was changed to the ‘Ministry of Education’. The term ‘Human Resource’ implied that human beings were resource material, devoid of sensibility and values, who could be used and thrown away. It was, in a way, inspired by the materialistic philosophy of the West. On the other hand, the Shiksha (Education) designation, brought back again in place of ‘HRD’, encompasses, along with the material aspect, all other facets of human character, including the cultural and psychological, a reflection of the Indian value system.
Character building and holistic personality development reflecting the Indian value system, in fact, have been important goals of Vidya or Shiksha in the Indian thought tradition- the idea being captured in the oft-repeated Sanskrit shloka Vidya Dadaati Vinayam. With over half the population (52 per cent) under 30 ( as per National Family Health Survey-5), India is the ‘youngest country’ in the globe. But the youth of the country is at crossroads with personality disorders and imbalances afflicting a substantial section. The need for character building and holistic personality development having an Indian value system is an urgent requirement of the education system in current times.
Considering these needs of youth, the University of Delhi took the initiative, in the course of implementing NEP-2020, and designed ‘Value Addition Courses’ for the undergraduate program- an innovative and historic step in the university system of the country, with far-reaching consequences.
With the firm belief that education has an important role to play in dealing with the issues mentioned above, the Value Addition Courses (VACs) are a well-thought-out and far-reaching effort and are being keenly watched by academics of the entire country. The main objective of these VACs, developed with the help of experts from across the country, is holistic personality development and character building of students; “embedding ethical, cultural and constitutional values; promoting critical thinking, Indian Knowledge Systems, scientific temper, communication& soft skills as well as teamwork.” A major hallmark of these VACs, in keeping with the spirit of the NEP 2020, is that these are not purely theoretical courses, as had been propagated by the Macaulay model continuing for almost two hundred years. Rather, taking inspiration from the ancient Indian pedagogy of ‘Gurukula’ system and Mahatma Gandhi’s model of experimentation and application, these courses have at least 50 per cent of the component as hands-on learning or practical or application-oriented. The practice or practicum section will range from fieldwork, surveys, and projects to other experiential learning and other applied aspects. Importantly, the 50 per cent practical-based study will not be limited to science-oriented courses but also to courses inclined towards humanities, social sciences or commerce, providing hands-on experience to these students. Another notable feature of VAC, is that instead of pure laboratory-based practicals, the experiments and applied activities will be conducted in the ‘laboratory of life’, connecting the students with society and with the country at large.
Another feature of VAC is that irrespective of the streams, any student, whether from the sciences, humanities, social sciences or commerce etc., can opt for them. This will promote multi-disciplinarity while enriching the diversity of the class, a need of the hour in current times. In addition, unlike some ‘Add on’ short-term courses, offered at some places, these VAC are credit courses, and marks obtained will be part of the grade sheet, thus, engendering seriousness into their study.
So far, 26 courses have been prepared for the academic session 2022-23. A total of about 40 to 50 such courses will be developed for the entire undergraduate program. Some of the current courses include- Vedic Mathematics, Swachh Bharat, Panchkosh: Holistic Development of Personality, Indian Bhakti Tradition and Human Values, Ayurveda and Nutrition, Yoga: Philosophy and Practices, Sahitya, Sanskriti and Cinema, Ethics and Values in Ancient Indian Tradition, Science and Society, Fit India, Art of Being Happy, Emotional Intelligence, Constitutional Values and Fundamental Duties, Sports for Life, Digital Empowerment etc. A unique attribute of the VACs is that elements of the rich Indian Knowledge System (IKS) have been duly incorporated, as specified in the NEP-2020. For example, ‘Vedic Mathematics’ is a unique course of its kind, which is being taught as a credit course in a prestigious university like the DU in the country.
Similarly, ‘Panchkosh: Holistic Development of Personality’ will prove helpful in dealing with the increasing personality imbalance, mental stress and aggressive behaviour among the youth today. Similarly, the course ‘Yoga: Philosophy and Practice’ will also be very useful given the complex and stressful life today. To apprise students of the great heritage of IKS, 25 per cent of the total courses are from subject areas related to IKS. Patriotism is another value which the VACs have tried to inculcate among the students.
With its economic strides, the ‘New India’ of our youth is in high gear to take the world by storm, in the 21st century. But it would be expedient that this ‘New India’ is also balanced, has Charitra and Moolya (character and values), and is socially responsible with a sense of patriotism. Only then can India rebecome a Jagadguru. ‘Value Addition Courses’ of Delhi University would be a quintessential model, in this regard, for the Higher education institutes of the country.
