Chief Justice of India Justice NV Ramana is of the opinion that the field of education requires an overhaul. On Saturday, August 20, he stressed the need for developing an education model that would teach students to face real-life challenges.
"Such education should also be an enabler to achieve social solidarity and create individuals as meaningful members of society. The youth must be conscious change-makers who should think of sustainable models of development. This consciousness must acknowledge the needs of our community and environment while being pioneers in your respective fields," he said, as mentioned in a report by PTI.
The CJI said this when he was addressing the convocation ceremony after receiving his honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from the Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU), his alma mater, in Andhra Pradesh. The CJI advocated for the needs of society.
He also commented that institutions of higher learning were losing their social relevance with the "mushrooming of factories of education". He opined that the focus of professional courses continued to be on the creation of an obedient workforce as in the colonial times, which is not sufficient to generate the required output.
"The harsh reality is that even after the students enter professional universities, the focus is on classroom learning and not on the world beyond. Securing highly remunerative and profitable job opportunities has become the sole objective behind such education. There was a total neglect of equally important subjects like humanities, natural sciences, history, economics and languages," he said.
"We are witnessing mushrooming of factories of education which are leading to devaluation of degrees and human resources. I am not sure who or what is to be blamed. It was time for a transformation of the country's education system. Our institutes must focus on the value of social relationships and conscious citizenship," he added, as per PTI.
"Education should blend our historical baggage with a futuristic vision to equip young minds with the right tools and attitudes to transform our society with awareness and right understanding," the Justice said. He called upon universities and their research wings to focus on issues affecting the country and try to find comprehensive solutions.
"The state should actively co-operate in this endeavour by earmarking funds required for research and innovation. It will be a sad commentary if we allow our key areas of learning and research to suffer on account of lack of funding," he stated.
In the end, he urged the students to build a democracy filled with vibrancy and idealism, where differences in identities and opinions are respected. "Don't allow corrupt thoughts. Don't tolerate injustices. Think beyond yourself and be willing to make sacrifices. Be sensitive to the needs of the community and society," he said.
Andhra Pradesh Governor and ANU Chancellor Biswabhusan Harichandan presided over the ceremony. The state's Education Minister B Satyanarayana, along with Vice-Chancellor P Raja Sekhar and Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court Prashant Kumar Mishra, were present at the event along with other judges and senior officials.
