The Role of Spiritual Pedagogy in Higher Education under NEP 2020
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 marks a transformative shift in the Indian educational landscape by emphasizing holistic, multidisciplinary, value-based, and learnercentric education. NEP 2020 advocates the development of ethical reasoning, emotional intelligence, critical-thinking, social responsibility, and cultivation of individual character. In this context, spiritual pedagogy (SQ) emerges as a significant educational approach capable of contributing to the broader objectives of higher education. It focuses on cultivating self-awareness, inner growth, compassion, mindfulness, moral responsibility, and a sense of bonding among learners. The integration of spiritual values into higher education can lead to the development of individuals who are intellectually competent, emotionally composed, ethical, responsible and socially aware. This paper examines the role of spiritual pedagogy in higher education within the framework of NEP 2020. It explores the conceptual framework of spiritual pedagogy, and its potential contribution to holistic development of the learner. The study further analyzes how spiritual pedagogy aligns with the vision of NEP 2020, particularly in relation to valuebased education, Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), multidisciplinary learning, and student well-being. The paper argues that the integration of spiritual pedagogical practices into higher education can contribute significantly to the formation of responsible citizens capable of addressing the complex social, ethical, and environmental challenges our society is facing today.