Adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on November 26, 1949 and coming into effect on January 26, 1950—the Constitution of India has been in existence for 71 years. This day is very sacred to Indians across the world as it reminds us of the struggle of our countrymen to become a free and sovereign nation.

The Constitution of India is not a static but a living document which can be amended for the betterment of the nation at large. The Constitution has been amended 103 times since January 26, 1950. One such evidence is the 103rd Amendment to the Constitution. Led by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this amendment will give economically weaker sections in the general category 10 per cent reservation in education as well as central and state government jobs. The government of India is consistently focused on raising the standard of living of every strata of society.

To be inclusive and equitable as enshrined in the Constitution, the Ministry of Education launched Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan to provide quality education to students pre – school to Class XII by improving quality of education, enhancing the learning outcomes and using technology to empower children and teachers. As mandated by the 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory Education to the Children of 6-14 years age group, a Fundamental Right—the government of India launched a flagship program Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a firm believer in upholding the values of our Constitution; so much so that in November 2015 he announced that November 26 of each year would be celebrated as Constitution Day wherein teachings of Dr BR Ambedkar would be imparted to students and community at large.

In order to bridge the gender disparity in technical education, the government in 2018, decided to add supernumerary seats for women in IITs. The aim was to ultimately reserve 20 per cent of IIT seats for women.

Envisaged by the Constitution, of an equitable and inclusive society, the NEP 2020 was formulated around those core ethics. The curriculum and pedagogy of our institutions must develop among the students a deep sense of respect towards the Fundamental Duties and Constitutional values. To ensure that a student does not miss out on valuable education owing to language barrier, Central and State governments are now to invest in large numbers of language teachers in all regional languages around the country, and, in particular, for all languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. To imbibe in our youth the logical framework of making ethical decisions, excerpts from the Constitution will also be considered as essential reading for all students.

Another step in the policy inculcating the Constitution of India is that now all BEd programmes will emphasise the practice of the Fundamental Duties (Article 51A) of the Indian Constitution along with other Constitutional provisions while teaching any subject or performing any activity. As PM Modi said, “Constitution is our guiding light”, the Ministry of Education has taken definite steps to ensure that the Constitutional values are upheld to the strongest regard and reflected in the NEP 2020.

Taking the awareness on a grand scale within our educational institutions, a one-year campaign was launched on November 26, 2019 to mark the 70th Anniversary of Indian Constitution Day. Today, most are aware of their Fundamental Rights, but as important as rights maybe our duties hold equal importance—which is why the theme for this campaign was Fundamental Duties. The campaign was launched with the reading of the preamble by our Prime Minister and it gives me great pride to say that, 1581 institutes and 3,30,664 students participated by reading the preamble in their locations simultaneously. 

Each month of the campaign was dedicated to one Fundamental Duty, wherein HEIs organised activities and events around that duty. This helped the youth to understand and learn their duties in a creative and holistic manner. Be it through debates, moot courts, street plays, poster making, competitions or workshops.

With every step undertaken under the guidance of Narendra Modi, the abidance by the Constitution of India has always been a precursor. The government of India has always strived that principles of the Indian Constitution are reflected not just on paper but also practice.

There’s no better way for me to conclude this article than by quoting BR Ambedkar, ““Constitution is not a mere lawyers document, it is a vehicle of Life, and its spirit is always the spirit of Age.”

(The writer is the Union Education Minister, Government of India)