New Delhi: Yoga guru Ramdev is gearing up to spearhead the country’s first government recognized board for Vedic education, after his Trust’s bid to establish the proposed Bharatiya Shikhsa Board (BSB) was adjudged the best by a selection committee on Saturday.
According to an Indian Express report, the five-member panel’s recommendation will be considered by the governing council of the Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Vedavidya Pratishthan (MSRVP), headed by HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, this week.
The MSRVP, which is a fully-funded autonomous body under the HRD Ministry working on promotion of “Ved vidya”, has been directed to appoint a private sponsoring body for putting the BSB in place.
Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust, along with the Ritnand Balved Education Foundation, which runs the Amity group of institutions, and Pune-based Maharashtra Institute of Technology were the three private players that had responded to the ‘Expression of Interest’ (EOI) released by the MSRVP inviting applications for establishment of the Board.
The three applicants made a presentation to the five-member selection committee, which was headed by the National Book Trust’s new chairperson Govind Prasad Sharma in Delhi.
Representing the Patanjali Yogpeeth, its trustee Acharya Balkrishna informed the panel that the company is willing to commit Rs 21 crore – highest among the three applicants -- for the development of the Board and has the required infrastructure facilities for the headquarters.
Balkrishna also informed the panel of the Trust’s intention to house the BSB’s headquarters in Haridwar and appoint Ramdev as its chairperson, the report said, adding that the promise of funds worth Rs 21 crore was the biggest factor that contributed to Patanjali’s selection.
The BSB has been proposed to ensure the standardisation of “Indian traditional knowledge”, such as Vedic education, Sanskrit education, Shastras and Darsanas, etc.
Under the mandate, it will draft syllabus, conduct exams, issue certificates and recognise Gurukulas, pathshalas and schools that offer a blend of Vedic and modern education. The Board, functioning just like CBSE, will charge an affiliation fee and examination fee from schools.
Once established, the BSB is likely to benefit educational institutions such as Ramdev’s residential school Acharyakulam in Haridwar, Vidya Bharati schools run by the RSS and gurukuls run by the Arya Samaj because as it will allow them to sustain their model of education up to Class XII, which school boards like the CBSE currently do not permit.
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