The modern world, the emerging Global village now, is expected to march ahead towards a knowledge society. Every country is contemplating ways and means that would help it transform into a knowledge power or even a knowledge superpower. The advances in human endeavors to explore the forces of nature and evolve strategies to acquire control over these are saga of unprecedented success over the last couple of decades. The new insights into the world of information and communication technology have opened new vistas for greater human endeavor and interaction. There is so much to be highlighted on the positive side of growth and development resulting out of human initiative and ingenuity. None can ignore the negative side, evidenced by violence, distrust, bigotry, terrorism and fundamentalism spreading their tentacles all around. It is becoming increasingly clear to all concerned individuals that economic prosperity and material progress alone can never result in lasting wellbeing of each and every human being. The increasing tension between materialistic pursuits and spiritual quest is being observed practically in all aspects of human endeavor. Consequently, the issues of human values come in for serious consideration in the beginning of the 21st century. Value internalization is the challenge before everyone. It is a consequence of value inculcation, value nurturance and value of development. Obviously, the education and the systems of imparting education have to play the most important of the roles. The most outstanding objectives of education at this juncture of history are articulated as “learning to live together’ and achieving greater ‘social cohesion’. In a multi-religious society, experience has made it abundantly clear that values of respect and regard for otherness, including the religions of all those not in the same faith as that of the individual concerned, will have to be nurturned with great sensitivity and care. It has to be accomplished within the stipulations contained in the Constitution of India. Only when this is accepted and assimilated in the psyche of the nation, the path to achieve constitutional values of democracy, socialism, secularism and sovereignty would be much easier to traverse. Indian State is secular but the Indian society is religious, as is also the case in several developed countries. There is no contradiction between the two. The issue of values in education and the role of religions in value education figured prominently in the debate of educational changes initiated during my stewardship of the educational changes introduced by the NCERT during 1999-2004. I availed of every rightful opportunity to project the concerns of the nation on value erosion and the resulting sufferings inflicted on the individual and the society. My personal conviction that India needs a people’s movement for value restoration in a order to achieve social and religious harmony received tremendous support in my interactions with stakeholders in education, particularly the teachers. In teachers we must trust. The traditional commitment of the teachers in India could be a great asset in the march ahead to create a value-based education system. The present volume is the outcome of interactions with different groups of stakeholders in education who are concerned and are keen to contribute towards strengthening values in education. The contents were not written in continuity but for different audiences in the course of a nation-wide debate. Hence the reader has to bear in mind the fact that the reconvene of certain idea and references would not be infrequent. The basic objectives and the emphasis shall be seen in continuity throughout. Several of my academic friends and colleagues were helpful in several ways and at different stages. Foremost amongst them in professor O.S. Dewal who himself leads a value based life. Professor Rajendra Dixit took pains to edit the manuscript. Professor Makkhan Lal and Udayan Nanboodiri wee instrumental in persuading me to give shape to the manuscript. Names of some of the younger colleagues are not being mentioned for the reasons they would understand. I fervently hope that some of the ideas and indications presented here will generate not only debate and discussion but also action.
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