Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said technology can play a key role in taking education to the last mile by transcending barriers. He also called for “Indianising” the education system based on the country’s wealth of ancient wisdom and said the colonial education system has created an inferiority complex and diffidence in people. Naidu said there is a need for a value-based transformation in the education system, as envisioned in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Referring to the important role of technology in democratising education, he said the untapped potential of the students can be harnessed for the larger good when education is taken to the last mile.
Naidu also emphasised the need for the country to emerge as a global hub of innovation, learning and intellectual leadership, according to a statement issued by the Vice President Secretariat. Inaugurating the Rishihood University here, Naidu recalled that India was once hailed as the “Vishwa Guru”.
“We had great institutions like Nalanda, Takshashila and Pushpagiri where students from all corners of the world came to learn,” he said, adding that the country must regain that pre-eminent position.
Recalling that India has had a glorious tradition of holistic education, the vice president called for reviving that tradition and transforming the educational landscape while urging new universities to take the lead in this regard. Noting that education plays a vital role in the transformation of a nation, he called for taking up education as a “mission”.
Stressing the need for all-round improvement on the education front, Naidu said the quality of research, teaching at all levels, rankings by international agencies, employability of graduates and many other aspects of the education system need to be toned up.
He urged every educational institution in the country to implement the NEP in letter and spirit.
Former Union minister and the chancellor of the university, Suresh Prabhu, was among those present at the event.
Suresh Prabhu, former minister and Founding Chancellor of Rishihood University, added that “India’s spiritual wisdom provides solutions to many of the pressing problems of today such as sustainability, mental health, global peace, and harmony. As the name signifies, our objective is to inspire the students, faculty, and the community to attain ‘Rishihood’, the state of being a Rishi. Passionate and conscious individuals can create prosperous and harmonious societies. I am delighted to support this mission as the founding Chancellor.”
The university has launched novel initiatives to promote social impact such as the Center for Water, Center for Innovation in Governance, a gap year program for high school graduates, faculty development programs for K12 and higher education, and more.
Sahil Aggarwal, Co-founder & CEO, Rishihood University, elaborated that “ 2000 years ago, India was the global seat of higher learning. Universities like Takshashila not just attracted learners from all over the world, but created some of the finest leadership, impact, and scholarship in human history. For modern times, we wish to shape that vision in the form of Rishihood University, an effort to rebuild Takshashila for the coming centuries, reimagining education, and rebuilding Bharat.”
