Bengaluru: India’s knowledge traditions have the potential to offer answers to challenges emerging from artificial intelligence, and these solutions should be communicated to the world in a language that is globally understood, RSS Sah Sarkaryavah Mukund C.R. said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a ‘Guruvandana’ programme organised by the Karnataka South chapter of Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mukund said the role of teachers had remained significant despite several changes in the education system over the past century.
However, he said the status of teachers was facing challenges amid changes in the social environment driven by money, technology and other factors.
Taking knowledge traditions to present generation
Mukund stressed the need to understand changing patterns of communication in global education and find ways to take India’s vast knowledge traditions to contemporary society.
He said the Guruvandana programme was not merely an honour for individuals but also a tribute to the concept of the teacher and the role of the guru in society.
“Information alone cannot shape a personality,” Mukund said, stressing the importance of devotion, values and life education. He said a teacher’s key role was to create awareness, something that could be achieved through the teacher’s presence and guidance.
Technology cannot replace faith
Prof Ramachandra Bhat Kotemane, former vice-chancellor of S-VYASA University, said AI was developing at a pace that could surpass human capabilities in areas such as reasoning and memory.
However, he said technology could not take away faith and inner awareness. Preserving knowledge traditions that cannot simply be replicated by machines was an important aspect of Indian heritage, he said.
Bhat said the existing education system alone would not be sufficient to meet future challenges and stressed the need to familiarise the next generation with yoga, yajna practices, meditation and the Bhagavad Gita.
Need for guru-technology synergy
Former AICTE chairman Prof T.G. Seetharam said teachers must equip the next generation with knowledge, confidence to question and the courage to create something new.
He said the combination of teachers and technology could shape the knowledge needed for the future. Technology, when used ethically, could benefit humanity, he added.
Prof Praveen C. Ramamurthy, president of Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal’s Karnataka South chapter, said the Guruvandana programme was organised to recognise and celebrate good practices and ensure that they were carried forward.
He said everyone had something to learn from others and urged people to respect different sources of knowledge. AI should be used as a learning platform while its shortcomings were addressed, rather than being feared, he added.
Ten teachers who had made notable contributions to the education sector were felicitated at the programme. Educationists, thinkers and social workers attended the event.
