Changes in education policy only after debate, says HRD Minister

Amritsar, Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani said the NDA government plans to kick off a nationwide debate on the current education policy through seminars, starting January 2015, which will form the basis for the changes to be made in it.

Addressing a national seminar on ‘Revitalising Education Policy for Safer Women World’ at DAV College here, Smriti said that education needed resurrection and a new policy should only be made after a national-level discussion, which would see all the stakeholders participating in it.

She said these deliberations would focus on challenges facing the education system, loopholes and possible amendments. She emphasised that self-motivation towards building a “strong-character society”, and not just policy-driven approach, was required to ensure safer women world.

“We have to go back to our culture, bring in a value-driven approach in education at primary level before we start condemning anything or anyone. We have a tendency to value our traditions and heritage only when it has been re-packaged by the West, which is is a matter of serious concern,” she said.

Defending her decision to ask schools to celebrate the Sanskrit Week, Smriti said learning about the country’s heritage was as important as learning contemporary theories.

Mentioning the Nirbhaya case and its repercussions, she said, “Women were empowered even during the Maurya period when Chandragupta Maurya had recruited women in his army. As a woman, I am often accused of having a regressive thinking because I wear a sari. We do not become regressive by knowing our culture, respecting our heritage. The question is not of rights, but our duties. Building a healthy value system will only be possible if we respect our culture of holistic education rather than just learning a few concepts.”

Earlier, she paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and Durgiana Mandir. She also paid tributes to the martyrs at Jallianwalla Bagh. She took some time out to sip a hot cup of tea at a famous tea stall. She addressed the BJP workers at Khanna Smarak and stressed on having toilets at schools and colleges while speaking on women safety