Paper Details

Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) are an invaluable and varied knowledge system that provides the philosophy, ethics, science, spirituality, arts, environment and life skills. In this paper the pedagogical principles which are inherent to Indian Knowledge Systems are discussed and their implications are explored in contemporary education. The traditional education in India was much more than the acquisition of information, it was more about developing character, wisdom, self-discipline, social responsibility and harmony with nature. Thus, the Guru–Shishya relationship, experiential learning, dialogue-based inquiry, reflective thinking, value-oriented education, and interdisciplinary knowledge provide promising alternatives to exam-centred and fragmentary modern education. The study demonstrates the potential of IKS-based pedagogy in facilitating learner centred education as it fosters critical thinking, ethical consciousness, cultural awareness and lifelong learning amongst learners. It also delves into the importance of incorporating traditional knowledge into modern educational frameworks, including curriculum reform, teacher training, and policy initiatives like India's National Education Policy 2020. The paper also identifies challenges that include the lack of trained educators, the risk of superficial inclusion, curriculum overload, and need for research-based validation. The paper suggests that it is the careful incorporation of the pedagogical principles of IKS that can help to make modern education more holistic, inclusive, ethical and socially relevant. Indian Knowledge Systems cannot then be conceived as only a heritage of the past; it is also a dynamic learning tool that can be used to meet the current and future learning requirements.

Indian Knowledge Systems, Pedagogy, Holistic Education, Experiential Learning, published in the Journal of Pedagogy and Psychology in the Indian context.