The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that India needs education system with greater emphasis on Indian history, heritage and culture. He was addressing the valedictory function of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Hindustan Group of Institutions, in Chennai.
The Vice President said that education system must inculcate strong ethical, moral and humanistic values. While acquiring knowledge from across the globe, the students must remain rooted to India’s glorious culture, traditions, ethos and heritage, he added.
Recalling the profound words of Mahatma Gandhi, the Vice President said that “Literacy in itself is no education. Literacy is not the end of education or even the beginning. By education, I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in the child and man-body, mind and spirit”. He further said that Education does not end with mere acquisition of knowledge or degrees. It is aimed at holistic development of an individual, who will be able to face the challenges of a fast-changing world with vision of a seer and temperament of a scientist, he added.
The Vice President said that education must help in building the character, capacity, calibre and promoting proper conduct. He further said that education is for empowerment, enlightenment, enhancement of knowledge and to seek gainful employment. People in education sector should address the critical issues in our education system like high dropout ratio especially at secondary and tertiary level, obsolete syllabus and conventional pedagogy, lack of industry-institute linkage, lack of research awareness and shortage of trained teachers.
