16-12-2019 दिनाङ्के चिन्मयविश्वविद्यापीठे अन्ताराष्ट्रीयसङ्गोष्ठ्याः अङ्गतया प्रवृत्ते विपश्चित्संवादे प्रो.नन्दिता चौधरीवर्या “Early education in contemporary Indian society” इति विषयमधिकृत्य विचारान् प्रस्तूय सांस्कृतिकपरम्परायाः आधुनिकविज्ञानस्य च भेदं प्रतिपादितवती । तत्र सा यद् बाल्यावस्थातः गृहे पाठ्यते सास्ति संस्कृतिः यद् विद्यालयेषु पठ्यते तदस्ति विज्ञानम् इति प्रतिपाद्य बाल्यात्प्रभृति बालकस्य पालनं पोषणञ्च पालकानां कर्तव्यमस्ति इति स्वविचारान् प्रस्तुतवती । अनन्तरं शान्तिकृष्णमूर्तिवर्या बाल्यस्य संस्कारः इति विषयमधिकृत्य बालकस्य मनसः सशक्तीकरणं एव पालकानां शिक्षकाणां वा परमं प्रयोजनं, तेषां संस्काराय अस्माभिः सदा प्रयतितव्यम्। बालाः बहुधा अन्येषामाचरणमवलोक्य तद्वदाचरन्ति । अतः सर्वत्र तद्वदाचरणमावश्यकम्।संस्काराभावे बालमानसं स्वस्य समाजस्य नाशाय कल्पते इति स्वविचारान् प्रस्तुतवती ।
The Chairperson for the discussion was Prof. Pasala Geervani, Pro Chancellor of CVV and the speakers for the session were Prof. Nandita Chaudhary, Retd. Professor, Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi and Smt. Shanti Krishnamurthy, Director of Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, Education Cell.
Prof. Geervani opened the panel discussion and laid out a brief outline about early childhood education and care and the importance of understanding and integrating the Indian system and touching upon the multitude of knowledge which remains in the obscure.
Prof. Nandita Chaudhary spoke first, explaining why all aspects of culture and science should be looked at, including the local science and global culture. She spoke about how the development of the child begins at the thought of conception itself, and how in the Indian tradition ‘caring’ for the child is allotted more focus than the caregiver themselves and how a whole village often participates to bring up a child. Thus our basic understanding of child development must emerge from a multiple caregiver setting, not a single care-giver one. She also said that rote learning is a gift that we are in the process of losing and something where more research needs to be conducted.
The next speaker, Prof. Shanti Krishnamurthy, gave an insight into how the minds of young children were worked upon to make learning faster and last longer when they entered the education system. Thus, the essence of our education should be to work on the minds of children and ample pieces of evidence of such practices were found in our traditional education system. One of the practices was of inculcating samskaras in children. Goodness and customised learning were also nurtured in Indian culture. She emphasised how children need role models because they learn more from what they see and not what they hear.
She said adults and educators must come forward and be role models for children to learn from.
The panel discussion ended with an interesting question and answer session with the audience.
