State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) 
CELLS FOR HUMAN VALUE & TRANSFORMATIVE LEARNING
In our present scenario, the society values material gains and profit. It is not an exaggeration to say that in this materialistic era of science & technology, everything except values have reached its echelon. Everyone is worried about continuous corrosion of values, yet not much action has been taken for restoration of values. Even our current education system is oriented primarily towards giving skills that would make students salable products. This education system, even though with good intent, has managed to develop only the cognitive aspect of the child but unfortunately unknowingly ignored the Affective and Psychomotor aspects. This void has led to students becoming more irresponsible, insensitive, self-centered and demanding without showing any sense of ownership. Students have also started engaging in serious criminal offenses such as rape, theft, kidnapping and even murder. At this juncture, Delhi government as well as Directorate of Education have launched a Value Education Programme under the banner of ‘Cell for Human Values and Transformative Learning,’ to be able to address this grave scenario.
Formation & Vision:
Formation Order by Directorate of Education
It is well appreciated that a teacher not only delivers the contents of the text books, in the process, s/he also passes on a part of his/her own worldview/values/thinking to the students. During roughly 14 years of schooling, children also start imbibing the vision, beliefs and overall personality of their teachers. Therefore, it is important to strengthen the value base, and transform & uplift the thinking pattern of our teachers so that the delivery of content and ultimately the quality of education can improve. Apart from the teachers, who are key persons and have a direct impact on the teaching learning process, the Cell will work towards evolving effective interventions for upgrading the competence of Heads of Schools, School Administrators and School Management Committees and all other concerned Stakeholders.
Vision: The Vision of the Cell for Human Values and Transformative Learning is Humanization of Education, Conscientious Development and establishing a Universal Humane Order that allows all human beings to achieve global peace and harmony.
Objectives:
1. To identify, study and practice Universal Humane Conduct
2. Develop consciousness in every human being
3. Integrate Values, Skills, Arts & Technology into educational content and methodology to bring about qualitative transformation in human beings Value Education Programmes
4. Orientation Programme to Value Education (1-3 days)
5. Introduction Programme to Value Education (7-8 days)
6. Intensive Study Programme in Value Education (3-6 months)
7. Weekly/Fortnightly/Monthly Seminar
8. Curriculum Development (D. El. Ed) & subject-training
9. Sessions with D.El.Ed students throughout the academic year
Target Groups
1. School Students
2. DIET trainees
3. Teachers
4. Teacher Educator
5. CRCC, BRP
6. Mentors
7. SMC Members
8. HOS
9. Assistant DE, DDE, RDE, Additional DE, DE
10. Society Members
11. Parents
Need for Value Education
The state of society is a direct consequence of the state of its Education. India has made huge leaps in Education over the last few decades. Successful programmes led by the Central & State Governments have led to increase in enrolment, higher quality of education and better academic results. Despite achievements, which Education systems have aspired for, a depleting sense of security in society, increasing lack of trust in relationships and higher level of confusion amongst youth and children, have made the process of Education more challenging than ever before. If the purpose of Education is to enable a human being to live a fulfilling life, be a responsible member of society, have a positive contribution in others’ lives, in addition to being a successful person, then alarming signs of focus on individual success, lack of gratitude towards parents, educators and society, and challenging environments for teaching pose new questions for Educators.
Today, the drive for garnering physical facilities seems to have become the sole goal of young people, who are driven by their parents and peers to work within a competitive paradigm. The result is an intense pressure on them to perform (i.e. achieve high levels of income) at the cost of everything else, whereby the very purpose of life and living itself tend to get neglected. As a result, there is greater anxiety in family ties, disregard for those who are exploited, and breakdown of ethical grounds for operation. It is in this context that the purpose of Education is being re-visited and re-evaluated by most Educators around the country over the last few years. While technology and other skills have been important aspects of the system and are ‘means’ to achieve what is ‘valuable’ for the human being, the responsibility for clearly defining what is ‘valuable’ for humans rests with Education. The situation we see today is one devoid of values like Trust, Respect, Gratitude, Responsibility and Ethics and is perhaps because of the lack of being able to define these Values. Thus, Value Education becomes an imperative today and its complementarity with skills is critical to Education being actually successful in creating humans beings with character and values.
What is Value Education?
In the past few decades pioneering work has been done on value education across the education sector. MHRD’s guidelines for Value Education is proposed as follows:
1. Universal
2. Rational
3. Natural
4. Verifiable
5. All Encompassing
6. Leading to Harmony
Jeevan Vidya’s model of Value Education has been introduced and implemented in various formats across India over the last decade. This model of Value Education follows a process of self-verification and building understanding (knowledge) within an individual. The process is for an individual to examine and understand what is ‘valuable’ to one self, and, in turn, for everyone (and everything) else in existence. As we discussed in the previous section, so far, while the intent for Education has been to create well-rounded individuals, what is really happening is that with the focus tipped over towards technical and skill based education with a strong inclination towards commercial success, the part about ‘How to Do’ has been addressed but not the fundamental questions of 'What' and 'Why'. This has created a society in distress.
The proposal of the Jeevan Vidya Model is that How to do, What to do, Why to do (underlying questions for these are How to live, What to do in our living and Why we exist to begin with) are the three basic questions that when addressed, accomplish the complete purpose of Education. Jeevan Vidya’s Value based education very consciously brings to the fore, the importance of knowing what to do by bringing focus on developing right understanding among children and youth. Knowing the difference of right from wrong and having the clarity that values of trust, respect, commitment, responsibility are natural to human beings; makes them confident and conscientious participants of society. Their participation is not limited to only their sphere of work-where they get their earnings from (which is society’s current parameter of success), but at the level of their family manifesting in fulfilling relationships and also at the level of the environment through an attitude of non-exploitation of natural resources.
Why to do is another important question that Jeevan Vidya’s Value based Education proposes to address. It addresses the fundamental anxiety of most human beings, which for many people results in an “existential crisis” later in life. The purpose of education, why students are studying, What they study, why they are living as human beings, why they have relationships, why they have to be conscious citizens of society and the world, what is their relationship with the environment – all these questions help them live consciously, make informed choices about their future and live with a worldview of harmony and a deep sense of ethics. The answer to this why, in essence, is quite simple – to have holistic, happy lives full of prosperity, health and fulfillment in relationships (at all levels of self, family, society and nature). With the two questions addressed above, How to do? becomes easier to tackle. Our current education system already has a strong rootedness in this. Students are being offered a variety of information and skills through various academic and vocational subjects. With the support of a value-based approach, these information and skills will be utilized by the students for living in co-operation (rather than competition), to run their homes well (financially and emotionally) and contribute towards society and nature. Therefore, the proposal of Jeevan Vidya based Value Education is to address three fundamental questions: Why to do? To achieve human being’s ultimate goal of living happily and harmoniously What to do? To build one’s understanding (by recognizing one’s role in existence at the level of the self, family, society and nature) How to do? By equipping oneself with information and skills to achieve the goal.
Jeevan Vidya can be a panacea for all the above mentioned. It has been put forth for human society in the form of a proposal. Jeevan Vidya is a unique educational programme that aims at integrating humans with their environment, nature, and society, thus fostering a paradigm shift in human consciousness. In essence, Jeevan Vidya helps us to recognise that harmony is already there in existence. It does not have to be constructed. One only needs to understand it, to be in it. Jeevan Vidya can motivate teachers and any other education stakeholders to go ahead in life and become a productive member of society.
This programme enables people to think positively and proactively. This programme leads to a better understanding of the other, the laws of the universe and naturally builds competence to accept complete responsibility for one’s own life.
Through Jeevan Vidya we can:
- Enhance humanness, human values and human consciousness.
- Promote ‘consciousness development value education’ in the content of education.
- Promote universal world order, human constitution and human mindset.
- Inculcate in the people a concern for environment, ecological balance and co-existence.
- Develop an environment conducive for human consciousness and human values Overall we can say that through Jeevan Vidya we can make our student, teacher and other stakeholders of education responsible, capable, sensitive and sensible, which is the ultimate goal of education.
Experiences in Value Education based on Jeevan Vidya
“Jeevan Vidya develops tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty in human conduct by enabling self-knowledge that understands harmony in the self and in the entire existence. Jeevan Vidya is a ‘teachable human value based skill’ that can address inherent conflicts within the mind of the individual, within families, in organizations and in public life.”
- President APJ Abdul Kalam’s President’s Address to the Nation, on the eve of 15th August 2006
Organization of cell for human values and transformative Learning (CHVTL)
There were initially seven members in CHVTL including Chairman. In 2020 reorganisation of CHVTL was undertaken and Dr. Anil Kumar Teotia has been nominated as its Chairperson alongwith two new members Dr. Karamvir Singh, an Assistant Professor on deputation in SCERT and Ms, Swati Khanna, a social science scholar and fellow of co-existentialism since inception Dr. Shyam Sundar is working as a Nodal Officer of the cell (CHVTL) . The details of each and every member is mentioned herewith. Initial organization of CHVTL consists of two members from SCERT/DIET Dr. Rajesh Kumar, Principal DIET Daryaganj and Dr. Anil Kumar Teotia, Principal DIET Dilshad Garden, two members from DOE Sh. Shrawan Kumar Shukla a Mathematics teacher and Mr. Ravi Sinha on deputation from Gorakhpur, two members from civil society Mr. Ankit Pogula and Mr. Sanjeev Chopra and a retired Deputy Director of Education Sh. Jang Bahadur Singh as its First Chairman.