Vice president calls for complete overhaul of education system

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on February 27, 2018, called for a complete overhaul of the education system in the country and said institutions should churn out ideal citizens.

“I feel that the education system from school level to higher education should be completely overhauled to ensure that our institutions churn out ideal citizens,” he said, adding, “The policy-makers, educationists, vice-chancellors and other stakeholders in the educational field should consider revamping the system.”

While addressing the Silver Jubilee Convocation of Siva Sivani Institute of Management, in Hyderabad, the vice president said that the syllabus at the school level should be drastically cut to reduce the load on students.

“First and foremost, the syllabus at the school level has to be drastically cut to reduce the load on students,” he said, adding, “The time spent by students in school should be divided equally between the classroom and play field.”

“Participation in sports and other extra-curricular activities, including gardening and crafts will help to develop students into good socially-conscious citizens,” he further added.

Saying that students passing out of institutes must be equipped to deal with new situations in practical manner, the vice president reiterated that the curricula and teaching methods should be re-oriented to the requirements of the digital age.

“Students coming out of the portals of higher learning should be well-rounded individuals with ability to think creatively, critically and innovatively,” he said, adding, “For this to happen, the curricula and teaching methods should be re-oriented and made relevant to the requirements of the digital age.”

Talking about the overall development of students, he said that educational institutions must include activities like gardening, outdoor sports, craft and art in their curriculum and the present-day formal education should make the students acquire new life skills.

“Participation in sports and other extra-curricular activities, including gardening and crafts will help to develop students into good socially-conscious citizens,” he said, adding, “Education is a life-long learning process in which every experience teaches something new. Therefore, the present-day formal education should make the students acquire new life skills, enable them to innovate and think out-of-the box to face a globalized and competitive world.”

The vice president asked students to take advantage of the mobile revolution and encouraged people to access information on their mobile phones.

“Advancement in technology and the spread of internet have opened up new avenues to provide formal education,” he said, adding, “We must take advantage of the mobile revolution in our country and encourage people to access information on their mobile phones.”

“Internet platforms and several apps are already being used to impart education. This must be accelerated to reach out sizeable youth population live in rural and remote areas of our nation,” he further added.