Akhilesh Mishra, Sunil Kumar Pandey
India is a country where there is a
large diversity in terms of opportunities and accessibility to education.
Various efforts are being made by Govt. and NGOs to minimise this gap. National
Education Policy (NEP) 2020 suggests involving the community in the schools to
fill the gap. Senior citizens being an important part of the community would be
highly beneficial for the schools as they have a vast range of life
experiences. We must understand that
senior citizens are not liabilities but one of the most important assets for
the community provided if they get opportunities. School may be the best
platform to give such opportunities. This paper explores the potential
contributions of senior citizens in schools based on NEP 2020 and identified various
activities like developing values in children, Promoting Foundational Literacy and Numeracy,
Promoting Indian Knowledge system and Indian local languages, preparing and
distributing mid-day meal in schools, arranging human and financial resources
for schools, taking care of children’s emotional health, early identification
of the needs of the children, ensuring participation of female and transgender
children in education, etc in which they can be engaged into the schools. It
also suggests the process by which the schools can render their services.
Senior citizens, NEP 2020, Community, Society, Schools,
Students
VOL.15, ISSUE No.3, September 2023