THE COMPASS - A Peer-Reviewed Journal of Education in Universal Human Values

Today technology is influencing all aspects of life and particularly education and has become a main feature of the modern educational framework, so it is of paramount importance to integrate technology with universal human values in all aspects of educational design, delivery and assessment. Such integration creates the balance between, and synergy of technology and human values that has always acted like the compass showing the true north.
The interview, in this issue of the Journal, with one of the most distinguished figures in technology in India, throws light on how rapid evolution of technology has opened novel avenues for confluence of technology and education. Of particular significance is the role technology can play in reaching out to the unreached and to the marginalized, to facilitate inclusion of learners who may have variety of life circumstances and create an engaging learning environment for them. This is of particular importance for higher education that caters to adult learners who study in over 40,000 colleges and 900 universities across the Country. The role of placing universal human values at the foundation of all aspects of educational design, delivery and assessment ensures that it remains holistic and human centric.
Another trend in current education is creating curricula that are modular. This approach makes education more flexible and enables students to choose subjects of their interest and choice in an inter-disciplinary manner, as advocated by the NEP 2020. To ensure that such modular curricula cultivate all-round development of students, the curriculum designers should take care to include universal human values as guiding principles in their designs, ensuring that what students learn will have beneficial outcomes for themselves, their communities and humanity. In this issue of The Compass, it is highlighted that in this way students can not only gain excellent academic competence, but also a deep sense of empathy, integrity, social responsibility, and become ethically grounded.
An important aspect of inclusive education is to address the unique challenge that pregnant students face. Supporting them is so necessary to enable them to balance their academic learning and the demands of pregnancy. To succeed in their studies, educational institutions should understand their difficulties and extend support to them by putting in place systems that can provide practical solutions and an inclusive environment for them. The rigorous research that has been included in this issue compares the status of support to pregnant students in India and Botswana. Setting a such system in place can reduce the number of tertiary education dropouts and promote equitable and compassionate education for all.
In the current complex and technologically empowered scenario, the data related to what man knows redoubles every year. What students know today may become obsolete by the time they graduate from their colleges. So, we can achieve the goals of the NEP 2020 not just by transmitting information from the teachers to the learners. Holistic education, nurturing their thirst for seeking knowledge, giving them a set of skills to think creatively and at higher levels, and helping them to become well-rounded youth can enable them to remain relevant, to make positive contributions to their own life and to advance civilization. For this to happen all the aspects of education, be it design, delivery, assessment or support, should be informed by the values that define humanity and create a just, compassionate and sustainable world as well as enhance the relevance of education to the modern world of today.

Dr. Lesan Azadi (Ph.D.)
Editor