Prayagraj (UP), Apr 25 (PTI) With the educational landscape rapidly changing, there is a need to re-establish and integrate indigenous knowledge systems into higher education, Secretary of the Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas Atul Kothari said on Saturday.
Kothari was addressing a two-day national seminar of the directors of the country's Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) held here at the Jhalwa campus of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Allahabad.
"A balanced synthesis of traditional knowledge and modern pedagogical methods is essential for the integration of Indian science into higher education. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, ancient texts should be interwoven with modern scientific principles," he said.
Speaking at a seminar organised on the subject of incorporating Indian knowledge tradition into the curriculum, Kothari said a blend of Vedic wisdom and modern research methodologies lends depth and diversity to the curriculum.
In this regard, subjects such as Ayurveda, Yoga and Astronomy can be included to familiarise students with their contemporary relevance.
On this occasion, Professor Mukul Sharad Sutavane, Director of the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Allahabad, said the objective of the seminar is to effectively integrate the wealth of Indian knowledge into various academic disciplines at the curriculum level.
Prof B S Murty, Director of IIT Hyderabad and acting director of IIIT Kurnool, noted that an MTech programme focused on the integration of Indian heritage has been successfully running for the past four years.
A discussion on the current status of the Indian knowledge systems across different institutions was also organised among the directors of various IIITs.
Subsequently, Venkatesh Chemprolu of IIT Mandi delivered a lecture on integrated curriculum development centred on consciousness and well-being, while Preeti Jagwani of Delhi University shed light on ancient Indian mathematics.