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Top educationists, ministers to attend RSS-backed Gyan Sabha in Kerala next week; Mohan Bhagwat to speak on NEP

Top educationists, ministers to attend RSS-backed Gyan Sabha in Kerala next week; Mohan Bhagwat to speak on NEP

Indian Express19-07-2025
Over 300 top educationists, including vice-chancellors, academicians, and education ministers from states like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Puducherry, will gather in Kerala's Kalady next week for a national education conference organised by the Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas, an education-oriented wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The conference, titled 'Gyan Sabha', will be held from July 25 to 28, and will focus on the theme 'Education for a Developed India'. A key highlight will be an address by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on July 27, where he is expected to speak on the theme of Indianisation in education and the broader implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Representatives from leading spiritual and academic institutions such as the Gayatri Pariwar, Art of Living, Ramakrishna Mission, Chinmaya Mission, and the Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhan Kendra will also take part in the four-day event.
Announcing the event at a press conference in Delhi on Friday, Atul Kothari, national secretary of the Nyas, said the purpose of the conference is to explore how education in India can become more value-based, India-centric and knowledge-oriented. 'The aim is not to oppose Western knowledge systems but to ensure Indian students remain rooted in their traditions, culture and knowledge,' he said.
The first two days of the conclave (July 25–26) will comprise a closed-door 'Chintan Baithak', where selected participants will deliberate on issues related to the Indianisation of curriculum, promotion of Indian languages, moral education, and integration of traditional knowledge systems. The concluding day, July 28, will feature a larger open session focused on policy discussions and collaboration.
This is the first time such a large educational event by the Nyas is being held in Kerala, the home state of Adi Shankaracharya, whose birthplace in Kalady is steeped in spiritual and philosophical legacy.
The Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas was established in 2007 as an extension of the Shiksha Bachao Andolan, and has since emerged as the RSS's principal platform for educational outreach. It has been involved in promoting value-based education, textbook reforms, and the revival of Indian knowledge systems, including running teacher training programmes, publishing supplementary material for schools, and lobbying for greater space for Indian languages and moral education in classrooms.
The Gyan Sabha is seen as a significant step in the Nyas's long-standing efforts to shape a national academic vision aligned with Indian civilisational values, in line with the policy thrust of the NEP.
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