VP Naidu stresses need to impart value-based education for all-round development

The Vice President was speaking at the online launch of ‘Heartfulness All India Essay Writing Event’ organized by Shri Ram Chandra Mission in partnership with the United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan.

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu today stressed the need to impart value-based education for all-round development of the individual. He called for moving beyond academics and making value-based teaching and learning an integral part of our education system.

The Vice President was speaking at the online launch of ‘Heartfulness All India Essay Writing Event’ organized by Shri Ram Chandra Mission in partnership with the United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan. This event is held every year to commemorate the United Nations International Day of the Youth between the months of July and November.

Shri Naidu lauded the initiative and said that such events stimulate the younger minds and enable them to think positively in their lives. He expressed happiness over the fact that this is a multi-lingual event with entries invited in ten major Indian languages in addition to English and hoped that in future all Indian languages will be included.

Appreciating the National Education Policy - 2020 for focusing on value-based education, Shri Naidu said that this emphasis on values has been an integral part of all our teachings since ancient times.

He opined that need for value-based education assumes greater importance in the present-day, fast-paced IT-driven material world where access to an explosion of information, technologies, tools and news can be very overwhelming, confusing and misdirecting too at times.

Expressing the need to rebuild the foundations based on universal values, Shri Naidu called for returning to our roots and draw upon the wisdom of our traditional methods of teaching.

He called upon the governments, parents, teachers, institutions and voluntary organizations to take lead in imparting critical life lessons to students. He expressed confidence that if we move in this direction, India will lead the resurgence of value-based education for the world to follow.

Calling education as the key to fully leverage our demographic dividend, the Vice President wanted our universities to improve the standards to make India a leading hub of knowledge and innovation.

Describing the youth of today as the leaders of tomorrow, the Vice President said that a nation’s destiny is shaped by its youth.

Calling for greater thrust on research and collaboration between academia and the industry, Shri Naidu felt a need for greater investment in research by both public sector and private sector institutions.

Drawing attention to the challenging situation caused by COVID-19 pandemic, he observed that nations have shown strong resolve and are working together in emerging out of this strongly and together.

Observing that adversity is the time when one’s character is tested, he said that no problem is insurmountable when we work together with strong values.

Shri Naidu also said that the pandemic has caused some stress in the people’s mind and the best way to release this is to live together with one’s family and practice meditation.

Describing ‘share and care’ as the core of the Indian philosophy, the Vice President called for inculcating the values of compassion, empathy, respect for elders and religious tolerance among the youngsters.

He also appealed to provide succour and help to the needy and marginalized people in times like the current pandemic.

“You live for others, you live long”, he added.

He advised people to not become complacent and continue with necessary precautions and expressed hope that sooner than later the worldwide trials for a vaccine will bear fruit and we will be able to defeat the virus.

(With Inputs from PIB)