The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has called upon educational institutions across the country to partner in programs such as ‘Fit India’ and ‘Khelo India’ and encourage students to lead a physically active life.He said that health and physical fitness of the youth were as important as their intellectual and emotional development. It was particularly essential in the wake of the spurt in the non-communicable diseases in the country.Speaking at the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Maharaja Agrasen College, in New Delhi today, the Vice President stressed the need to provide a multidisciplinary and holistic education that includes co-curricular activities and community service.The Vice President asked the academicians to promote critical thinking, problem-solving, cultural literacy, global outlook, teamwork, ethical reasoning, and social responsibility among the students. Advising the authorities to empower the youth by revamping the education system and reorient it to suit the present-day needs, Shri Naidu said that ending the digital divide, improving quality of education and building adequate infrastructure for skill up-gradation of rural youth was essential to realizing India’s demographic dividend.
He stressed the need to boost the employability of the graduates through intensive skilling programs, especially in cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Robotics, etc.Talking about India’s long and illustrious history of holistic education and the guru Shishya Parampara, the Vice President asserted that the main aim of education was not for employment alone, but to enhance knowledge and provide enlightenment and empowerment to individuals.Referring to the Draft National Education Policy 2019, the Vice President said that it proposes to focus on the holistic aspect of education and emphasizes that education throughout life was based on four pillars – i) Learning to know - ii) Learning to do - iii) Learning to live together – iv) Learning to be.Shri Naidu asked teachers, scholars, professors and all other citizens to provide inputs to strengthen India’s education system and make it relevant to the needs of 21st century.The former Governor of Gujarat & Madhya Pradesh, Shri O.P. Kohli, the Vice Chancellor of University of Delhi, Prof. Yogesh Tyagi, the Chairman of the Governing Body of Maharaja Agrasen College, Prof. Sunil Sharma and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.