Gyan Sabha focused on strengthening education, not to propagate any ideology: SSUN president

Time of India

a day ago

Kochi: Amid the row over the participation of vice-chancellors of multiple universities from Kerala at the 'Gyan Sabha' education conference organized by Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas (SSUN), Pankaj Mittal, the president of the RSS-linked organization, said that the conference was not aimed at promoting ideologies of BJP or RSS.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Speaking to TOI, Mittal, who is also the secretary general of Association of Indian Universities (AIU), said the event focused primarily on strengthening education by integrating Indian values and discussing the effective implementation of National Education Policy (NEP).
"The conference was not conducted to propagate the ideology of BJP or RSS. There was no talk about any political outfit, only discussions on academic issues and how to improve the quality of higher education and bring Indianness into education," said Mittal.
Responding to criticisms raised by political outfits in Kerala deeming the event an attempt at 'saffronisation' of the education sector, Mittal said, "I don't know what saffronisation means. Is saffronisation about improving the quality of education? Is it about increasing employability?"
Mittal pointed out that India has a rich heritage that is often overlooked in the current educational structure, and NEP 2020 recommends this change.
According to her, while the policy was widely accepted, implementation remains the key challenge.
Mittal said that AIU aligns with NEP and has dedicated a full year towards planning its implementation.
"For us, education is not just about earning money but about shaping individuals into good human beings. If a person with multiple degrees engages in theft or murder, we cannot call it education. Education must embrace value systems and moral values," she said.