Give modern education the Indian ethos

AD Pradeep Kumar

9 Nov, 1998

"Education is not the amount of information that is put into your brain and runs riot there undigested all your life. We must have life-building, man-making character building assimilation of ideas,'' said Swami Vivekananda in one of his speeches.

Education should aim for an integrated development of students--physical, mental, moral and spiritual. Such an education is the foundation stone for nation-building. A modern education system based on India's rich cultural heritage will be a perfect synthesis of eastern maturity and western activity. This is what Vivekananda had envisaged a century ago.

Holistic education provides this perfect blend. The Mata Amritanandamayi Math, a key spiritual centre in the country, runs institutes that provide holistic education. These institutes, based in south India, follow a curriculum that is strongly underlined by Indian ethos. The curriculum may range from the kindergarten to postgraduate studies in engineering and management. Following are some of the maineducational programmes conducted by these institutes:

--The Amrita Institute of Management (AIM) offers a residential post-graduate programme in management that is rated at par with many of the leading management programmes in the country. The programme is a combination of higher spiritual values and new management techniques. The placement cell of the institute has a good record of getting excellent employment avenues for its students. The institute also has a large computerised library, with a good collection of management journals and books.

--The Amrita Institute of Computer Technology (AICT) is one of the outstanding institutes of computer technology in the country, with its main centre located near Amritapuri Ashram at Karunagapally and with branches in Ernakulam and Chennai. It is the only institution in the private sector with has a student chapter of the Computer Society of India, with a tie-up with C-DAC (Centre for Development for Advanced Computing).

Technical-cum demonstration seminars areregularly conducted by reputed professionals at the AICT centres. The institute has developed and implemented software packages and gives training to reputed companies like Tide Water Oil Co Ltd, India Rare Earths Ltd, Malabar Cements etc.

AICT is soon emerging as one of the top-most institutes in the country in the field of computer education.

--Amrita Institute of Advanced Computing (AIAC) offers a full-time, post-graduate diploma course in advanced computing approved by C-DAC.

--MAM Industrial training Centre (MAMITC) gives technical education and vocational training to hundreds of students by running NCVT approved courses in various trades such as civil draughtsmen, fitter, electrician, radio and TV repair, electronics, and so on. With a highly dedicated teaching faculty and well equipped workshops, MAMITC is one of the best industrial training centres in Kerala.

--Amrita Institute of Technology and Sciences (AITEC) is located at Ettimada, Coimbatore. Located in a picturesque campus extendingabout 150 acres, the institute conducts four-year BE degree courses in mechanical engineering, production engineering, computer sciences, electrical and electronics, and electronics and telecommunication. AITEC also conducts a diploma course in advanced computing and is an authorised training centre of C-DAC.

Sri Mata Amritandamayi, the founder of the math places great importance on the need for modern education based on the principles of traditional education systems in India. Her aim is to provide free education to as many young people as possible from the underprivileged section of the society The math is also running 25 English medium schools with residential and transport facilities. These schools impart modern education including computer education and studies on spiritual values, culture and moral values.

The students are also given training in yoga, meditation and sports. Amrita arts and cultural centres provide training for students in various forms of Indian classical music and dance.

AmritaSanskrit Higher Secondary School is a unique institution where students have the option of taking up Malayalam, Sanskrit or English as their medium of studies. It is the largest Sanskrit school in Kerala where nearly 600 students study Sanskrit which includes a large number of students from the scheduled castes and tribes.

Amrita scholarships are awarded to meritorious students and also to students from poor families to encourage them to take up higher studies.

Amrita Speech and Hearing Improvement School scientifically teaches deaf and mute children to develop their speaking and communication skills.

A certain percentage of seats are reserved for deserving candidates from the underprivileged sections of the society. Free scholarships, tuitions boarding and lodging facilities are provided to students from poor families. The math also distributes food, new clothes, books and various other necessities to children from underprivileged section of the society.

The math is also running 15 tribal schools atAttapadi in Kerala, providing informal education to tribal children at places considered most inaccessible.

The higher ideals the math is striving to inculcate among the modern youth was also envisaged by many of the eminent leaders of the pre-Independence era like Pt Madan Mohan Malaviya, Lokmanya Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi and Aurobindo.

Their views can be summed up in Pt Malaviya's words, "To revitalise India as a nation, it is necessary to feed her youth with old spiritual and moral values and religion must be made a part of education based on Indian ideals.''