Universal Human Values In Educational Curriculum Of 21st Century

Abstract

The fundamental objective of education has always been the manifestation of an all-round development of an individual. However, this purpose has taken a different shape with time since the present education system focuses more on nurturing only certain skill sets of the students than ensuring a holistic growth of their thought process. As a result, we are witnessing a generation of skilled technicians who are mostly unaware of their true potential. In India, students who are pursuing various academic degrees, demonstrate significant efficiency as far as their competence in core subject domains is concerned. Unfortunately, the basic life skills which are required to sustain and thrive in a social setup are missing in those promising personalities. The importance of such skills, like creative thinking, leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, self-awareness, etc., have been repeatedly highlighted on various platforms by different commissions and expert committees on education, but the effective methodologies and models for inculcating those skills are not yet identified in our education system. To address this concern, the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) introduced a new course on "Universal Human Values" in 2017 with the expectation of fostering the right understanding of the varied dimensions of an individual's personality. This chapter attempts to understand the exact intention behind the introduction of such a course, its relevance in the context of contemporary information-driven academia, and most importantly, the possible outcome of such theoretical deliberation on value judgment. The chapter also tries to identify the areas where such an innovative course can further improvise to elicit the maximum benefit and appeal to the greatest number of young minds.