India celebrates National Youth Day on Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary on January 12. India has been celebrating the day as National Youth Day since 1984. Swami Vivekananda is seen as a youth idol because of the relevance of his ideas and ideals to the youth even today.
Swami Vivekananda propounded the importance of Education in building a nation. He believed that education was the primary means to empowering people. He specially emphasized on education being relevant to the common masses.
"The education which does not help the common mass of people to equip themselves for the struggle for life, which does not bring out strength of character, a spirit of philanthropy, and the courage of a lion - is it worth the name? Real education is that which enables one to stand on one's own legs."
To him real education was the education that instilled human values and strength of character in students.
On his 150th Birth Anniversary, the Indian Government sanctioned a "Value Education Project" of the Ramakrishna Mission. Ramakrishna Mission is an organization established by Swami Vivekananda which works in the area of value based education, culture, health, women's empowerment, youth and tribal welfare and relief and rehabilitation.
The 'Value Education Project' aims to inculcate moral values in students and provide them a decision making framework for life.
CBSE, in 2019, proposed to introduce the Value Education Programme in its affiliated schools for students of classes 6, 7, and 8 (or 7, 8, and 9).
"The students think about, discuss and discover the consequences of various choices and hence get armed with a decision making framework for life," the CBSE said in a circular.
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