Preserving ancient education heritage is need of the hour, says CM Fadnavis at IIM Nagpur conference

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that preserving the heritage of India's ancient education system and passing it on to the new generation is the need of the hour. He was speaking at the concluding session of the ninth international principals' academic conference at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at MIHAN in Nagpur.

Fadnavis said India's ancient education system was a major source of knowledge for the whole world. Students came from across the world to study at universities such as Takshashila, Nalanda and Vikramashila. He said learning in that era was not limited to bookish knowledge; it valued scripture, dialogue, skills and direct experience. The work of scholars such as Acharya Chanakya and Panini still shows the way today.

The Chief Minister said this was also why India held an important place in global trade, the economy and exports. Several invasions weakened the country's ancient education system, but social reformers made a major contribution to re-establishing the tradition of learning. Fadnavis said the need now is to draw inspiration from this historical heritage and build a modern education system.

Speaking of today's generation, he said it was born in an age of information explosion and is growing up with the fast pace of technology. This generation has been called "Generation WOW" (World of Wonderful Generation). It has countless sources of information.

However, turning information into knowledge, telling right from wrong and using it responsibly is a big challenge. The Chief Minister said that in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) it is essential to preserve human values, ethics and character. The role of teachers should not stop at giving children information, but should give the right direction to their thinking, he said.

Stressing the mother tongue, Fadnavis said the education systems of developed countries rest on their own mother tongues, so India too should not abandon the mother tongue. He appealed to students to learn to use technology properly instead of becoming its slaves. He also made it clear that many new experiments are being carried out in education through the National Education Policy.

Minister of State for School Education Dr Pankaj Bhoyar said on the occasion that education is not merely a means of acquiring knowledge but a vehicle for change in society. He also mentioned initiatives such as Mukhyamantri Majhi Shala, Sundar Shala and the Mukhyamantri Vidnyan Vidyarthi Wari.

At the event, the Chief Minister released an e-souvenir titled "Patheya - The Golden Elixir". Dr Nitish Bhardwaj was given the Sarvottam Nachiket Award for contributions to education and culture. Razia Hussain and Shraddha Kelapure received the Lifetime Achievement Nachiket Award, while Dr Indira Nayna and Kanchan Uke were honoured with the Super Nachiketa Award. IIM Nagpur director Dr Bhimaraya Metri and many other prominent figures from the education sector were present.