On the occasion of the 83rd birth anniversary of the noted Parliamentarian and Laureate Dr Shankar Dayal Singh, the Shankar Sanskriti Pratishthan hosted a webinar on the topic of Education, Culture and Samskara in his memory. The programme’s chief guest, Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, recalled his first meeting with Dr Singh at the Rajbhasa Committee, when Dr Singh was a celebrated writer and a politician, while Sisodia was new to journalism. He remarked what a coincidence it was that today he was participating in a programme hosted in the memory of him, now as a politician himself. In his address, he stressed the need for policy measures that inculcate emotional capabilities of students in the initial years and create an entrepreneurial mindset in high school.
The other panelists included Dr Pramath Raj Sinha, the chairman of Harappa Education, Dr Mahashweta Maharathi, the secretary of Rajgir Buddha Bihar Society, Dr Bal Ram Singh, professor, Institute of Advanced Sciences at Dartmouth, USA.
Dr Sinha noted that even though in-person education has a lot of advantages, there is a lack of qualified and trained teachers, especially in rural India and in government-run schools. The best way to ensure quality education in such circumstances might be to teach through technology. Digital is the way forward, he believes. Dr Maharathi talked about recognising the value of traditional education in India that goes beyond just academics. From crafts, handlooms and sculptors to traditional artisans, India has a huge talent pool that currently remains untapped and must be made an essential element of when we talk about education. Dr Bal Ram Singh also noted the historic significance of India and its place in the world, stressing upon the need for more mainstreaming of traditional Indian knowledge such as ayurveda and yoga.
Shankar Sanskriti Pratishthan also congratulated Ranjit Singh Disale, the recent recipient of Global Teacher Award 2020 and noted his contributions made to the field of education.
The programme was attended by over 500 people from India and across the world, garnering participants from USA, UK, Germany, France, Poland, Austria, Philippines and Australia. It was moderated by the son of Dr Shankar Dayal Singh, Ranjan Kumar Singh, an author. It was live streamed in Patna and across different villages in Bihar using digital medium. Women from self help groups congregated at Kamta Seva Kendra in Deo, Aurangabad, the birthplace of Dr Singh, to pay their regards and watch the programme live, a true demonstration of bridging urban divide through the use of technology.
