Civilisation comes into being by cultural theoretical body of ideas which has pan-globe influence. Significance needs to be given to theory and it can be observed how there has been a neglect towards liberal arts and movement towards applied sciences. Shastra and Shilpa must go together, when we move towards a new pedagogy, integration of the two is important which can bring cultural changes in the society and under no circumstances should theory be neglected”: said Dr Chandan Mitra, the Editor-in-Chief of The Pioneer while delivering a keynote address on Friday.
Dr Mitra was speaking during the third “Asian Undergraduate Summit (AUS)” hosted by the Hindu College which aims to bring together undergraduates of diverse disciplines from all over Asia and provide them with the opportunity to engage in meaningful academic, cultural and social exchange.
Integrating Shilpa and Shashtra: (Combining hands-on/skill-based learning with theoretical knowledge): Towards a New Pedagogy. Hands-on learning and standardised theoretical knowledge have constituted the binaries since time immemorial in polemics around pedagogy. In the recent past, however, there has been a renewed thrust to integrate the skill-based learning with the conventional theory-based pedagogy to address a variety of issues like plugging the trained work-force deficit and vivifying the university- industry linkages.
For a country with more than 5,000 years of civilisational history, including 200 years of recent colonial past when the two were by design kept apart and valued differently, the aforesaid integration disrupts the pedagogical conventions at several levels. Contained in this disruption, however, are the possibilities to recalibrate the value lopsidedness, offsetting trained workforce deficit and making the process of learning experience-centric.
The summit was attended by students from the different countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore. These students participated in a series of lectures and dialogues that were conducted by experts from both the public and private sectors.
Earlier, on Wednesday, former Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University Professor Dinesh Singh stressed that knowledge and skills are two sides of the same coin. “I request you to rethink and bring back the idea of India as an ‘enabled society’, he said.
Dr Reena Jain, a senior faculty of Hindu College who coordinated the programme said that participants had a great opportunity to learn from other participants and experts in their respective fields. “The summit will stock them with requisite knowledge, relevant and transferable skills that will enable them to engage more critically with various issues. The purpose is to develop a contextual understanding of different aspects of topics that have undergone disruptive change, she said.
“The Summit will combine site-visits, dialogue sessions, panel discussions, paper presentations and workshops to provide an educational and immersive experience to all the participants,” she added.
Saumya Mittal, one of the participants said that the programme like this helps in many ways. “You develop understanding about various aspects after listening and participating in discussions with eminent people from different field. Such a programme is also important as it brings together a group of undergraduates from the world that certainly helps in exploring things from different perspective,” she said.
“The Summit imbibed us with a clear picture of disruptions surrounding demonetisation and the education landscape in the Indian context. Hindu College showed us an unrivalled hospitality in the line of ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’ said Yi Feng Khoo, a participant from Singapore.