Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday launched Ramakrishna Mission’s ‘Awakening’ programme for students of classes I to V to ensure complete personality development of a child aligned with the philosophy of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
According to the Ramakrishna Mission, the ‘Awakening’ programme will identify the potential of the children and it is aligned to the NEP which will work as foundation for implementing it properly and smoothly.
Speaking at the launch, Union Minister for Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan said that NEP 2020 was deeply inspired by the philosophy of Swami Vivekananda. He said that From Swami Vivekananda to Sri Aurobindo and Mahatma Gandhi, many of our greats envisioned an education system that is progressive and rooted in our civilisational values to take the country forward.
He said that at a time when we are imparting NEP 2020, it must also lay emphasis on creating such value-based educational programmes for the last cohort of NEP 2020 in addition to create programmes for classes I toVIII.
“Our education system must be aligned to national priorities. We have to create 21st century citizens capable of taking global responsibilities. NEP 2020 with focus on a teacher-led holistic education system for students is a step in that direction,” the minister said.
The minister emphasised on the values and wisdom and that social transformation is one of the key goals of education and value-based education is important for building a future-ready and socially conscious generation.
He also urged Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to come up with an advisory to encourage value-based education from Balvatika to class XII.
“I call upon CBSE to institute an advisory framework for encouraging value-based education in all schools from Balvatika to Class XII for creating a talent pool ready for the challenges of life and committed to national progress and global welfare,” he added.
Present at the event CBSE Chairperson Nidhi Chibber also assure Ramakrishna Mission to support the programme and make it reach to the more and more students in the country.
“The way Ramakrishna Mission is taking the legacy of Swami Vivekananda and to make children a better citizen, is admirable. I assure Ramakrishna Mission that CBSE will give full support to the programme. We hope this programme reach as many students through teachers,” Nidhi Chibber said.
The Programme
Ramakrishna Mission has been successfully conducting the Awakened Citizen Programme (ACP) for middle school students to enable them to build “ATMASHRADDHA” (Selfesteem) and make responsible choices, after understanding the consequence of their actions since 2014.
6,000 Schools (KVs, JNVs, Government and private schools) have benefitted under the Awakened Citizen Program (ACP) so far. Around 35,000 teachers have been trained, 12 lakh students have been benefited in all the states across nation under
There has been a demand from educationists for a similar programme for Primary school students. In response to this, a programme called ‘Awakening’ which is closely aligned to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has been designed and piloted across 127 schools.
Awakening was envisioned by a senior monk of Ramakrishna Mission, Delhi, and subsequently developed by a team consisting of qualified resource persons from Ramakrishna Mission, Delhi, child psychologists, program developers, and story writers.
The program content and the delivery tools were researched, packaged, and integrated with the help of domain experts and with ELF Learning Solutions, Chennai, the program development partner of
Awakening Development
“Awakening” has been developed to bring out the very best in young children, without any compulsion or prejudice it consists of a mix of age-appropriate stories and fun activities that introduce and reinforce certain noble values for children. Thus, when children listen to the stories, participate vigorously in the discussions in the presence of a trained facilitator, and then carry out activities both at school and at home, this life-transforming values get permanently embedded in their hearts.
How Can You Adopt The Programme
Schools that register for ‘Awakening’ will need to nominate primary school teachers to attend a half–a–day Facilitator’s Training Workshop (offline/online).
The dates for training workshops will be intimated to schools in advance. After training, each school will be provided two sets of kits (in English or Hindi depending on need). Schools will also be given access to the digital content of the programme Enrolled Schools will need to allot 20 periods of 40-45 minutes each in the timetable for each class (I to V).
For a value to be understood through a story and related activities, five periods of 40-45 minutes each, are required. Hence for four values, a total of 20 periods per class is required.
While the maximum impact will be felt by a child who starts the programme in Class 1 and continues till Class 5, Awakening is designed in such a way that children will benefit even if they have one year’s exposure. Hence, any school which registers may run the programme simultaneously for all 5 classes.
It will be initially available in Hindi and English. Ramakrishna Mission Resource persons will provide training and continuous support to the school to conduct the programme. Schools are requested to extend cooperation to conduct the assessment survey for the programme from time to time. Since parental engagement is a significant aspect of the programme, parental support and involvement is solicited.
