Page 28 - EducationWorld June 2022_Neat

Expert Comment

Overdue recognition of liberal

arts & humanities

KATHLEEN MODROWSKI

OMEWHAT BELATEDLY LIBERAL ARTS educa- NEP 2020 acknowledges that liberal
tion has experienced a renaissance during the past
decade through promotion of several well-funded arts education is necessary foundation
Sprivate universities in India. According to the lat- for applying a humanistic (moral and
est Union education ministry report, a third (32.7 percent) ethical) lens to all science, commerce
of all undergraduate students are enrolled in liberal arts/
humanities and social sciences study programmes. and professional education
The plain truth is that for over half a century, liberal arts
education has been the fall-back option of school leavers However, providing balanced education is not the role
who didn’t do sufficiently well in their higher secondary of government. It requires foresight of the administration,
exams to qualify for entry into the country’s top-ranked en- faculty and students in academic institutions of higher
gineering colleges, especially the globally renowned IITs learning. If higher education institutions focus solely on
(Indian Institutes of Technology) and the limited number economics, science, commerce and new technologies, there
of medical colleges. However, following rising awareness is a danger that the moral and ethical essentials of higher
in society that professional education without a foundation learning will be overlooked. Therefore government inter-
of expansive liberal arts learning was churning out engi- ference is not in the larger social and public interest. By
neers and doctors who knew precious little about society, definition, governments accord the highest importance to
law, history and the Constitution, cutting-edge liberal arts meeting the material rather than moral and ethical needs
syllabuses and curriculums inspired by the UK’s Oxbridge of the general populace. They tend to discourage critical
and America’s Ivy league colleges started to be designed in examination of official policies and freedom of expression
private and several public universities. which is the essence of higher education.
The most recent All India Survey on Higher Education gainst this backdrop, the National Education Policy
(AISHE 2019-2020) lists 407 universities as privately fund- A(NEP), 2020 accords overdue recognition to liberal
ed. A substantial and growing number of them have de- arts and humanities. It mandates a four-year undergradu-
signed strong humanities programmes. This is an overdue ate degree programme with all students obliged to study a
and welcome development because the Indian subcontinent foundational liberal arts course in the first year. NEP 2020
has an ancient tradition of holistic and multidisciplinary acknowledges that liberal arts education, which covers the
learning. India’s ancient Nalanda and Taxila universities, social sciences, humanities, science and law is necessary
founded in the 5th century CE and 7th century BCE, were foundation for applying a humanistic (moral and ethical)
globally respected and attracted thousands of scholars from lens to all science, commerce and professional learning
around the world. But for various historical and sociological in collegiate and higher education. This is necessary in a
reasons, by the 13th century, Nalanda had disappeared and world where algorithms provide vast quantities of infor-
Taxila became a distant memory. mation that leave little room for questioning, and data ac-
Throughout history education and society have been cumulation and application becomes the end goal of higher
shaped by the social, economic and political realities of a learning.
particular era. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolu- On the other hand, liberal arts studies equip scholars
tion in the mid-18th century, fast evolving new technologies with higher order and critical thinking skills required to
have altered the purpose of education. Increasingly educa- conduct in-depth research and analyses on issues that affect
tion — especially higher education — became specialised the lives of people in all strata of society. American phi-
and vocational. Ancient wisdom that institutions of higher losopher Martha Nussbaum and Indian economist Amartya
learning should not only respond to the immediate mate- Sen posited that human progress has two dimensions: one,
rial needs of the people, but also teach the social sciences, provision for people’s material needs through economic
history, culture, good citizenry, literature and the arts, fell growth, and secondly ensuring that people are capable of
out of fashion. attaining physical and mental well-being. In other words,
Moreover, education became increasingly influenced by
government policy. And governments are usually eager to education must also ensure that people find a substantial
measure of happiness and satisfaction in their lives.
prioritise economic growth to meet the material needs of A great virtue of NEP 2020 is that it restores the balance
citizens, whereas the goal of education is — or should be between liberal arts and science and technology education.
— to teach moral and ethical values and nurture learned It provides a clear roadmap towards attaining a just and
graduates steeped in knowledge of history and culture. Edu- inclusive society.
cated individuals must be able to practise the highest values
of their societies while addressing the material needs of the (Kathleen Modrowski is Dean of the Jindal School of Liberal Arts and
majority struggling at the base of their social pyramids. Humanities, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat)

28 EDUCATIONWORLD JUNE 2022