File Photo: Union Minister Smriti Irani (Press Trust of India)
Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani is understood to have held deliberations with functionaries of some RSS-affiliated education bodies today as her ministry is in the midst of drafting a new education policy.
Sources said inputs were shared during the deliberation regarding the new education policy and about giving thrust to a revamped education system which instills nationalism, pride and ancient Indian values in modern education.
The interaction came ahead of RSS' three-day annual meeting in Nainital next week.
The meeting also assumes significance as education bodies have come out with resolutions in recent past supporting the promotion of Sanskrit and vedic values in course curriculum.
The Bhartiya Shikshan Mandal, an RSS body, had in a draft outline on education last week had recommended that from classes 9 to 12, students should be taught mother tongue and a classical language which could be Sanskrit or other languages like Arabic, Persian, Latin or Greek etc.
The draft titled 'Bhartiya Education Outline' also suggests that after eight years of primary education, student will have to "compulsorily" study one economic activity based subject for the next four years.
In June, the Dinanath Batra-headed Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas had proposed introduction of vedic maths in schools across the country and sought effective implementation of the three-language formula in all states.
It had favoured incorporating vedic maths along with regular mathematic courses in classes so as to improve the level of "competency" among students in the subject.
"We have prepared a syllabus on vedic maths and have reached out to a few private schools across the country including a school in Delhi to impart it in classes," the body's secretary Atul Kothari had said.
Meanwhile, slamming the current education system in the country for lacking "Indianness", joint general secretary of RSS Krishna Gopal had said an education system should be such which connects students with their roots, their culture and provides an spiritual integration.
The new national education policy, the consultation of which started in January this year, could be ready for consideration by the end of this year.
The thrust of the Ministry is to reach out to all the stakeholders at the grassroot level to seek their views and suggestions during the consultation stage.