January 11, 2019 witnessed a sanctioning of the National Board of Education by Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Vedavidya Pratishthan (MSRVP), an autonomous body under MHRD. The meeting was chaired by HRD minister Prakash Javadekar and was attended by P.P. Chaudhary, minister of state for law and justice.
The first proposal was submitted by the Haridwar based Vedic Education Research Institute (VERI) run by Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth in 2015. Red-flagged by the then school education secretary S. C. Khuntia, it was dismissed on the ground that a state sanction for a private board would lead to similar requests by other boards. 2016 witnessed a similar proposal under the then HRD minister Smriti Irani. This Bhartiya Shiksha Board (BSB) was set up with an objective of standardizing Vedic education and as an alternative to the Central Board of Secondary Education. BSB has a leeway to draw up its own syllabus, hold and evaluate examinations and issue certificates. Once it is fully established, the organisations such as Acharyakulam, Vidya Bharati schools, gurukuls will be benefited.
The government is seeking to provide Vedic education and opportunities for higher education and employment to those who have passed out from the Ved schools; it is making Ved Bhushan and Ved Vibhushan qualifications equivalent to class 10 and 12 education. Calling Vedic education “very necessary,” Javadekar said that the intention of the process would be to blend Vedic education with modern education where students can take their majors in Sanskrit and the Vedas and their minors in other modern subjects, in accordance with their motto of blending in the modern with the Vedic.
Here’s a breakdown of how the Vedic Board may impact the culture of education in India: the positives and the negatives.
Here’s Why The Board Might Actually Be Good
Regenerating Ancient Studies: India is widely known as the cradle of one of the most ancient civilizations of the world, whose philosophy, equitable social practices, remarkable economic prosperity and scientific developments had caught the attention of global experts, rulers and traders for centuries, from the ancient times to the medieval period.
For millennia, India has had its own native educational methodology that was firmly rooted in the scientific tenets of rigorous analysis, logic, experiential validation and repeatability. But, degeneration in all spheres of life over time and successive periods of foreign rule is thought to have gradually pushed the ancient knowledge in the background and most of it was soon forgotten in the face of rapid modern scientific discoveries and inventions in the Western world.
However, temporary setbacks do not make timeless knowledge redundant and it may be time to dig in to fish out valuable insights from the past that could be useful in today’s times by setting up the Vedic board.
Values In Ancient Knowledge: Sheldon I. Pollock, Sanskrit scholar at Columbia University, said, “To prevent cultural ecocide, young Indians can appreciate ancient Indians can appreciate ancient Indian values and how they morphed into the present, making them more accomplished in the study of modern subjects, realising modes of thoughts grounded in the reality of India, fresh and of timeless resonance.”
Setting up the Vedic Board will provide a concise and clear path to study the ancient texts through a properly planned syllabus. At the same time, the board plans to blend modern studies with the ancient one to provide a comprehensive insight into both worlds.
Following The Footsteps Of Other Cultures: The study of Greek and Latin texts is already part of Western educational tradition. Islamic teachings are professed in madrasas. The opening up of Vedic boards will thus allow for study of ancient Indian texts for modern Indians.
Scientific Researches: These Vedic schools will provide a comprehensive study of ancient treasures from Vedic texts and associated commentaries, from which several scientists and engineers today are already drawing inference. Hence, it would help solidify the ground for research and development practises.
But Here’s Why We Should Be Apprehensive About This As Well
Past Instances Of Meddling Tell A Different Story: The BJP government has been seen to go overboard with their ideas and propaganda in their past. They’ve been known to meddle in with the historical facts in several instances: from renaming roads to changing accounts in textbooks, the wave of saffronisation has been seen forming patterns. These past instances only make us apprehensive about the intentions of the incorporation of the Vedic Board, and make us question the credibility of the government’s intentions.
Hindutva Politics: The additions and amendments in school textbooks, and the unending renaming sessions are all touted to be measures effectuating Hindutva politics. How will the government assure that it will not be the same; the syllabus would promise lack of bias; the agenda is not to propagate and further their own ideologies?
Unemployment Woes: Stable employment after graduating from these schools is essential. But, stable employment will require structuring the syllabus in a manner that makes a student employable. The promise of education without employment poses a problem for the modern Indian.
Is It Yet Another Election Gimmick?: One hopes that this decision has been taken keeping only the best interest of students at heart, and not as an opportunity to garner votes. It is essential that Vedic Boards remain devoid of any political propaganda. They shouldn’t depend on the existing government for their survival. Change in power shouldn’t affect the fundamental functioning of the board, with each government trying to implement their policies over the other.
It’s imperative that no pseudo-nationalist ambitions should drive these schools and only truths should be served. The setting up of a board and the opening of schools isn’t just a theoretical work full of signatures and papers. It is also about ensuring quality education, jobs and all other facilities that students deserve in a welfare state. Even though it is a positive step to set-up Vedic schools, there are a lot of questions associated with it in regards to the working of the government. Thus, the centre should work towards positively fulfilling these questions and making Indian education better and much more detailed and analytical.