Harshita Singh emphasises that the role of academia and educational institutions is important. Education is like a safeguarding measure that is very effective in conserving heritage. As she explains with examples, education can enable and strengthen individuals and institutions to ensure transmission of history and heritage to the next generation.
Elephanta Caves
Recently, a debate took the country by storm when news spread like wildfire that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has decided to remove certain chapters from CBSE Class XII History textbooks on the Mughal Empire in India. As would be the case, the move immediately drew a lot of flak and soon became a political issue.
Soon after, the NCERT Director Dinesh Saklani, in an attempt to dispel all rumours and misconceptions, issued a statement clarifying that the chapters on Mughal Empire in India were not dropped from CBSE books and the news was in fact a lie. He further added that NCERT conducted a syllabus rationalisation process last year due to the pressures exerted by the Covid-19 pandemic on students. As part of this exercise, certain portions from the syllabus were dropped in Class XII History textbooks, which also included some portion on Mughal courts.
Education and history
This was not the first time that such an issue took national prominence and became a political one. In 2019, NCERT textbooks were set for revision to come into effect once the New Education Policy (NEP) was finalised and National Curriculum Framework (NCF) was set in place.
Before this, a revision was made in 2017 and that was after a gap of fifteen years. It was due to the suggestions that came in from members of the public, as part of the exercise where NCERT invited suggestions from teachers, parents, experts and other stakeholders. The 2017 revisions added a chapter on Maharana Pratap in Class VII History textbook and on Yoga and Ayurveda in books of Classes VI till X.
Another controversy erupted when claims were made that in the new NCERT Class XI Political Science textbooks, references to India’s first education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad were removed and this was an attempt to rewrite history and distort it for future generations.
The claims were refuted by NCERT that stated that as part of syllabus rationalisation exercise certain portions were omitted that included Cold War, Naxalite Movement, Mughal courts, etc., but there was no change made in this regard.
Role of academia
Through centuries, communities themselves have been carrying the knowledge and traditions with them. They create a culture and then carry it with them wherever they move. With modernisation and changing ways of life, development of urban centres, people moving to cities or migrating to far-away regions for livelihoods, the culture pool has been changing and so are the values associated with preserving it.
There are many countries and administrations that take special care in preserving and propagating their history. Then there are international organisations that processes that strive to protect cultural heritage of communities to be carried over to the next generation.
In all this, the role of academia and educational institutions is an important one. Education is like a safeguarding measure that is very effective in conserving heritage. The transmission of knowledge and heritage through formal and non-formals means of education is very effective. Education can enable and strengthen individuals and institutions to ensure transmission of history and heritage to the next generation.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) – a specialised agency of the United Nations aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture took a very important step in 1972 to protect cultural heritage of communities and tribes.
The 1972 World Heritage Convention held under the aegis of UNESCO initiated steps to preserve unique cultural and historical values of different societies, in order to bequeath the heritage to the future generations. It was also understood that education will play a very important role in the implementation and teachers have a lot of responsibility in making it happen.
Conserving history, heritage
Several institutions such as museums, libraries, etc. conserve history in various forms and preserve the sources of history as well. They conserve documents, artefacts and specimens and exhibit them for public viewing and awareness. Then, these entities also publish information in various forms for public consumption and propagation of knowledge – through journals, books, pamphlets, etc.
It is also important for education institutes such as schools, colleges, universities and research organisations to disseminate information in a language that is integral to that culture. Language in itself is a form of identity, a cultural heritage and multi-lingual education is must to further it.
Linguistic diversity origination from various ethnicities, communities and tribes is in jeopardy due to globalisation that is slowly and steadily destroying multiculturalism. When a language dies, it takes away many things with it such as traditions, thinking, folklore, traditional knowledge, etc., and with it goes the intellectual and cultural heritage of a group.
Heritage sites and education
Many educational institutes especially schools, around the world, regularly make trips to heritage sites and places of historical importance to further education for the children. In many countries, it is a regular exercise to take children to such places as part of history education. So, students are taken to tombs, palaces, museums, forts, old places of worship to introduce them to the rich world of heritage.
Additionally, children are exposed to various facets of cultural heritage even made to participate in folk dances, music, storytelling, plays, book reading, etc. to sensitise them to cultural diversity and make them aware of the rich history of a region or country.
Going a little further, today, there are many entities beyond educational institutes that have taken up the role of educators and are furthering heritage knowledge through various means, even commercial ones. Many tour and travel agencies and guides are now conducting heritage walks and heritage tours for those who would like to know more about a place or a city or a monument.
In such events, people from all walks of life willingly participate to know more about the history and heritage of a cultural group or a region. In most historic towns and cities popular among tourists like Mumbai, heritage walks and tours are conducted by individuals and organisations where foreign and domestic tourists even locals gather to know more about their city. It’s a great way to further history and heritage of the zone.
In this regard, innovative steps have been taken by the central government and many state governments to create educational avenues where interested members can learn history and take a dive into the rich heritage of India. Online and offline courses on history, film screenings, cultural festivals, tours and trips, photography and essay competitions, seminars and conferences, etc. are all ways to further this goal.
India has been known the world over for its quest for knowledge. Education is a very important medium to conserve history, traditions and cultures. It ensures that the masses have access to traditional knowledge and rich heritage of the country, which is integral to their identity. Ancient Indian scriptures are a great source of information about the civilisations that existed, their way of life, customs and beliefs. Again, education is a medium that can propagate this knowledge to the masses.