Indianised system must

New Delhi: Controversial educationist Dinanath Batra, who is set to unveil another book Bhartiya Shiksha Ka Swaroop,  has stressed on “Indianised education system” in the country and on “Indian culture being under attack from the foreign universities”.

In this book, he stated that education should be closely linked to character-building and “there is an urgent need for greater emphasis on the need for moral education in our schools and colleges”.

In his book, set to be released by Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday, the author has tried to touch on several aspects of the Indian education system and suggested fundamental changes to be introduced to the Indian education system.

The writer underlines the threats posed by the possibilities of foreign universities in India. “There is a distinct possibility of the  Indian culture being under attack from the foreign universities,” the author cautions in the book, adding: “Western culture in our education system would make our youth forget our cultural heritage and would be completely westernised. A country which forgets its own culture would lose its vibrancy also.”

National convenor of Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti, an organisation considered close to the Sangh parivar, Batra has suggested the country needs to have greater focus on women’s education. Taking examples from Vedas, he quotes examples where women were highly educated in the vedic era and even performed the role of “Purohit”.

To progress in the right direction and in the right manner, there is an urgent need to  ensure that  Indian girls and women are educated. Batra says that there is an urgent need to “check the crass commercialisation of our education system. There should be no capitation fees for higher education”.

The book calls for a complete overhaul in the examination system at the school level. He makes a strong case for replacing ‘examination’ with ‘evaluation’ and overhauling the “teacher training” system in the country.

Batra has sought that the emotional and spiritual quotients should also play an important role and the education system and the focus should not only be on measuring the intelligence quotient in context of education.

Earlier this year Batra got Penguin India to pulp “The Hindus: An Alternative History” by Wendy Doniger. Over the past few years the author has been leading a movement for “nationalist education” .

This is not the first time that the author has batted for overhauling the Indian education system which he claims continues to suffer from the “hangover of the colonial era”. He had earlier submitted detailed suggestions on these issue to Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani. Batra has also authored several books on various aspects of education.