>>> Article on Education Published in Times of India on 15 August 2021

A nation significantly comprises of a shared culture, a common civilization, a heritage, a unison of purpose, and a mutual understanding with respect for diversity in which surpasses endurance.The direction to nation-building has to be based on the structural fundamentals of the aims of the nation, pivoting on the interest of the common public and society, with a sociologically motivated and institution-based approach.

Education for nation-building should be a blend of human values, scientific inventions and innovations, and deep knowledge based on the inheritance of historical culture and civilization. It blends and builds the common ethos and institutions which are cornerstones for national growth and security.

Indian culture has always emphasized all-around educational development which includes moral, spiritual, physical, and emotional development with truth and compassion as the central theme. Education has to pro mote inclusion instead of bland growth, harmony instead of narrowmindedness, and unity instead of dissections.

Education is one of the most important ingredients in nation-build Ing. The citizens, largely the youth, are responsible for nation-building and therefore, it is evident that the nation’s youth should be well educated and are knowledgeable, progressive, and can solve the problems of the nation and the world.

The central theme for nation-building is a uniquely patriotic thought process and unified identity for all its citizens and building a common roadmap of progress and prosperity which is followed by all. The best way to propagate this central theme is to leverage the national education system to inculcate this thinking in the citizens.

Foundation for Inclusive Higher Education

The future has to be approached with the hope of a fair, just, prosperous, peaceful, and educated society, Surviving the impact of the pandemic, there can be no better time than now for a realistic and optimistic out-look about India and its education system. A There has been immense progress in the areas of infrastructure and economic development as well as in science, technology, and education. The government is firmly determined to modernize and revolutionize the industry and business, which is able to compete in the world market. To sustain this pace of growth, a strong system of education is much required which aims to provide a highly qualified, talented, and committed pool of trained human resources.

ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT FOR CREATING A WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION ECOSYSTEM

Aiming to make India a front-line country and economy, the government has launched schemes such as Digital India and Make in India, Startup India. Skill India, Invest In- dia. This requires the present education system to be upgraded and suit- ably changed, for which the NEP has been formed.

The citizens of the country need to be educated to compete with the world, in terms of their intellectual capabilities and talents. They need to be given an education which invokes innovation and inventions, enables them to hone their skills and talents. The government needs to envision this objectively and develop a roadmap of execution. For developing a large pool of human resources by educating and training them, the education infrastructure needs to be developed with a supporting policy framework.

The educationists are continuously putting in efforts and investment in developing the education ecosystem. Initiatives and policies need to be formed for private and public universities to make them world-class by providing them the much-needed autonomy and freedom to grow, develop and blossom. It is high time that procedures be much simplified. the conditions are relaxed, and the completions be time-bound.

ALIGNING GOALS AND VISIONS

In pursuit of nation-building, the citizens must be thoroughly educated by way of social inclusion and obtaining meaningful skills. With education, the vision for nation-building which includes sharing the vision and common goals can be effectively disseminated and the required mind set can be instilled into everyone. The aligning of the vision and goals can bring about a unison of purpose and direction, making the country an immense force for progress and growth.

EDUCATED AND TRAINED WORKFORCE

The nation has to move forward from the provisioning of basic education to advanced education and a culture for learning. Vocational education, skill development initiatives, reskilling and upskilling initiatives, university degrees will give rise to an efficient workforce. A well-trained, educated and capable workforce will enhance productivity and performance at the national level. Improved and efficient performance and output will be a critical component for sup porting the growth of the nation.

 PATH FOR PROGRESS

Nation-building is essentially the creation of national identity with its inherited culture and a well-deliberated direction. The thought for the progress of technological advancement and its adoption must be inculcated into the system that percolates in the hearts and minds of the people. It is therefore imperative that the country produces high-quality professionals, researchers, and academicians to propagate growth, ready to challenge the global competition.

The administration is the pivot on which any effective and efficient state rests and it is education, only an elitist one but a universal one. It enables the administration to deliver in the framework of service working for the democracy and all through well-educated citizens who are conscious of their duties, rights and responsibilities.

The world today is more of an economic world, than a political world The nation needs technocrats an scientists to create disruptive inventions and innovations which will leverage the indigenous talent an resources for the global market, aiming to the economic benefit for the nation. It needs diligent and efficient administrators for the new frontier of the world to manage the economic growth and utilize it for the com mon good of the citizens.

It needs the policy-makers to envision the road ahead and develop sup porting policies and economic bene fits, which will support the entire ecosystem for rapid advancement and exponential growth. Evidently the genesis of the nation’s growth stems from education.

High quality, focused and forward looking education will enable the nation to compete in the global economy for which we need administrator and managers of entries whose frontiers extend even beyond territorial and national space. It is the technocratic administration that relates the individuals and society for which it is meant.

The nation needs the social life of the citizens to endure and expand Creation and dispersion of goods and services are essential, and for people to survive, there must be some administration of justice, a political system must subsist, and some family structure must control to provide a means to reproduce the population and maintain social life daily.

Effective and purposeful education only can make the nation move from being a cost arbitrage-based cost centre to a nation of knowledge based economy, with inventions and innovations, value-added performance, and become an inspiration and an example for the world.