JOIN USJavadekar stresses on education for empowerment, emancipation
Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said, India’s highest achievement since 70 years of Independence is taking elementary education to villages under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, launched by the then prime minister A B Vajpayee.
Speaking during the valedictory function of the centenary celebrations of the late seer Shivaratri Rajendra Swami at Suttur, in Nanjangud taluk, he said, at present 25 crore children are studying from first standard to 12th and the next challenge is to provide quality education for all.
He said, for quality education, we need quality institutions and quality teachers, who encourage inquisitiveness. “Teachers should dream and they should sow the dreams among the children. Even Singapore deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has pointed out that India has the biggest gap in talent. Overproducing general graduates will not help the nation in any way, we need education for empowerment, and education for emancipation. We need to tap the potential of our youth by honing their skills,” he said.
Javadekar said, we should provide a conducive environment for our youth and check brain drain. “As learning should be a continuous process, the ministry is contemplating on introducing an open education system, under which one can study short-term courses, at anytime, from anywhere,” he added.
Recalling that both our saints and freedom fighters stressed on education, he said, the British established institutions such as schools, colleges, posts and telegraph and railways for their convenience and hence restricted education to a certain class of people and to a certain level.
“Bhakthi is the strength of India. Our foundation is the moral education, a gift of our saints. While the governments fulfil physical needs of the people, spirituality provides a direction to life. Quality institutions such as the ones under the JSS Mahavidyapeetha should mentor other neighbourhood institutions,” he said.
Union Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha released the commemorative stamp, face value Rs 5, on the late seer Shivaratri Rajendra Swami. Cooperation Minister H S Mahadev Prasad inaugurated the exhibition ‘Sri Rajendra Darshana’, Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddi released book ‘Shikshana Shilpa. Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda presided over the inaugural function. Seers Shivaratri Deshikendra Swami, Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru, Mummadi Nirvana Swami, Shivamurthy Swami, and Chidananda Swami were present.