An Outline of National Education

Abstract

The paper critiques the current education system in India, highlighting its historical trajectory and implications. Ancient Indian education focused on holistic development, moral values, and knowledge acquisition. The British East India Company introduced a Macaulayan education policy, which marginalized Indian intellectual traditions and instilled Western paradigms, leading to cultural alienation. Despite independence in 1947, the education system retained colonial frameworks, ignoring indigenous traditions. The National Education Policy of 1986 further alienated Sanskrit and Indian intellectual traditions. The education system has de-intellectualized the Indian mind, promoting Western theoretical frameworks while sidelining Indian traditions. Indian higher education faces issues of quality and relevance, with a focus on job-oriented learning rather than intellectual or moral development. The Macaulayan system created divisions between Indian and English languages, urban and rural populations, and materialistic and dharmic values. The paper advocates for a return to Indian philosophical and cultural values in education, emphasizing knowledge as the primary goal, moral and ethical development, and the integration of traditional knowledge systems into modern curricula. Indian education, grounded in values like non-violence and harmony, offers a contrast to the conflict-driven Western model.