Dimensions of Excellence in Education
Posted on: 04/Aug/2016 3:40:01 PM
Delivering the 7th Memorial Oration on the subject, Dimensions of Excellence in Education, Prof. Rohit Dhankar said, Broadly speaking, provision of quality education requires school managements and teachers to move beyond cramming information into children, towards developing their creative and problem solving skills. Moreover although high quality education requires infrastructure support, it doesn’t follow that five-star facilities are synonymous with quality education. Policies that look at Education as business commodity instead of a service can provide customer satisfaction, which in turn ensures that the quality of Education is maintained.
Throwing light on the references to ‘quality’ in the document released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Development (MHRD) about inputs for the draft New Education Policy (NEP), Mr. Dhankar said that the understanding of quality was severely limited. The draft policy falls much short of aims, learning and independence, moral development and action in a range of knowledge and capabilities, he said.
Prof. Rohit Dhankar, Director of School of Education and Director of Academic Development at the Azim Premji University, Bengaluru is also the Academic Director to Digantar, Jaipur. His work in Eduction began in 1978 with the starting of an alternative school called Digantar in jaipur, after training as teacher in Neelbagh School run by David Horsburgh.
Every year an annual function is held on August 3rd, with a renowned personality being invited to address the audience on current educational issues. The First Kuruvila Jacob Memorial oration was delivered by Shri Kapil Sibal, the then Hon’ble Union Minister [HRD], the second by Dr. C.N.R Rao, National Research Professor, the third by Mr. Anil Sadgopal, educationist, fourth by Prof. Raghuram Rajan, the then Chief Economic Advisor, Government of India, the fifth by Ms. Vimala Ramachandran, a National Fellow and Professor, National University for Educational Planning and Administration and today, the sixth by Prof. Mahesh Rangarajan, Director, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi.
