Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Wednesday called for reorienting the education system to make students think rationally and independently to enable them to face the challenges in life with equanimity.
"An education which balances the head, heart, body, and spirit alone can be called a truly holistic education. The child should not only be able to acquire and absorb knowledge but should also be able to apply the knowledge in real life situation," said Naidu.
Interacting with the students of Kendriya Vidyalaya, and other schools from Tamil Nadu at Upa-Rashtrapati Bhavan here, the Vice President recalled that India had a great tradition of 'Guru Shishya Parampara' in which teachers and students used to live together and engage in a constant dialogue.
"Such great tradition should be reflected in our modern education system. These discussions were recorded and have been handed down to us from the ancient past in the form of Upanishads," he added.
Naidu said that Education system must allow children enjoy schooling and make them lifelong learners. He said that true learning takes place through "observation", "reading", "discussion", "reflection", "analysing" and "synthesizing. He said that the reoriented curriculum must focus on aspects that make a child curious, creative, caring, communicative, confident and capable.
The Vice President said that teachers should not just guide students in academics alone but also help them to develop life skills that are essential to successfully navigate in the increasingly complex world of today.
Calling family system, the best medicine to protect youngsters from slipping into depression, he also urged parents to interact with children regularly and understand their issues.
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Saying that some form of physical activity or exercise was a precondition to stay healthy, the Vice President said that sports education should be accorded greater importance by educationists and parents.
"Students must spend 50 per cent of their schooling hours outside classrooms. Participation in sports would instill the qualities of confidence, equanimity, team spirit and tolerance in students, apart from inculcating the attitude of sharing and caring," he said.