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Online a : h ps:// esea ch endsjou nal.com ISSN No: 2584-282X
Indexed Jou nal, Impac Fac o : 6.1 Pee Re iewed Jou nal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRENDS IN EMERGING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Volume 3; Issue 5; 2025; Page No. 36-38
Special Issue o In e na ional Semina (23 d - 24 h Augus , 2025)
On he Topic
Indian Knowledge Sys em (IKS): Challenges & i s Applica ion in Highe Educa ion o
Sus ainable De elopmen
By
Facul y o Educa ion, IASE (DU), Sa da shaha , Chu u, Rajas han - 331403
In eg a ing Indian Knowledge Sys ems in o Teache Educa ion in India:
Need and Challenges
Sou a Cha e jee
Resea ch Schola Ph.D., Depa men o Educa ion, Gu u Ghasidas Vishwa idyalaya (A Cen al Uni e si y), Bilaspu ,
Chha isga h, India
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17200307
Co esponding Au ho : Sou a Cha e jee
Abs ac
India’s NEP 2020 emphasizes he impo ance o he Indian Knowledge Sys em (IKS) o educa ion oday and encou ages pu pose ul use o
IKS in cu icula and eache p epa a ion. The aim o his a icle is o a ionalize he need o IKS in eache educa ion p epa a ion and o
discuss he challenges- he hu dles- ha need o be o e come in o de o achie e his. The pape asse s ha he p esence o IKS in ei he
eache iden i y, ins uc ional design, o communi y engagemen , h ough he lens o cul u ally esponsi e pedagogy, epis emic jus ice, and
decolonial hough , can enhance educa ion by aluing exis ing classical knowledge adi ions such as, bu no limi ed o, Nyāya o Ayu eda,
local and ibal knowledge, languages, a s, ecology, c a , and philosophical-e hical sys ems. I p esen s he easoning behind eaching his
con en , how his con en migh con ibu e o he skills needed in he 21s cen u y, and wha i means o cu iculum, assessmen , and
p ac icum. The analysis also iden i ies conce ns and ba ie s such as ension in he epis emology; okenism; essen ialism; acul y capaci y
gaps; esou ce sca ci y; language and ansla ion; i wi h acc edi a ion and assessmen ; and challenges wi h academic igo and inclusi i y.
I p esen s an implemen a ion model ha desc ibes s epwise capaci y building, communi y engagemen , open educa ional esou ces, esea ch
and e alua ion plans, and he p o ec ion o plu alism equi y. The inal conclusion no es ha he conside a ion o IKS in eache educa ion is
bo h a mo al esponsibili y and a pedagogical oppo uni y, and ha i his is done, i should be wi h a c i ical, e idence-in o med, and
con ex ually sensi i e app oach.
Keywo ds: Indian Knowledge Sys em (IKS), Nyāya, Ayu eda, epis emic jus ice, essen ialism, eache educa ion, ins uc ional design
In oduc ion
The NEP (Na ional Educa ion Policy) 2020 [4] ma ked a
majo change in India's educa ional pe spec i e by explici ly
inco po a ing Indian Knowledge Sys ems (IKS) in o he
whole educa ional sys em, including eache educa ion. IKS
e e s o he scien i ic, logical, philosophical, and cul u al
aspec s o India, which include no only he classical
sys ems like Nyaya, Samkhya, and Ayu eda bu also he
local, indigenous, and ibal knowledge p ac ices. The
inclusion o hese knowledge a eas in eache educa ion is
by no means a symbolic ges u e only bu a g oundb eaking
mo e ha is deeply connec ed wi h he goals o epis emic
jus ice, cul u al esponsi eness, and he decoloniza ion o
knowledge. In his esea ch pape , he au ho analyzes he
easons ha jus i y IKS in eg a ion in o eache educa ion,
i s co esponding ad an ages, he exis ing di icul ies on he
way, and he s a egy o sus ainable and inclusi e
in eg a ion.
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Ra ionale o In eg a ing IKS in Teache Educa ion
Epis emic Jus ice and Decoloniza ion o Knowledge
The s uc u es o he colonial educa ional sys em ha e, o a
long ime, supp essed na i e knowledge sys ems while a
he same ime p omo ing Wes e n epis emologies as he
indica o o academic excellence. The in eg a ion o IKS
a emp s o ed ess his inequali y by b inging in epis emic
jus ice- ecognizing and alida ing a ious knowledge
sou ces (F icke , 2007) [2]. Teache educa ion, hus, can be a
place whe e a wide in ellec ual ho izon is opened up,
making he eache s capable o connec ing he ancien
knowledge adi ions wi h he equi emen s o mode n
pedagogy.
Cul u ally Responsi e Pedagogy
IKS o e s a pedagogical me hod ha is deeply oo ed in he
cul u e. The eache s who a e skilled in he local languages,
olklo es, ecological p ac ices, and c a s will be able o
c ea e engaging, con ex ualized lea ning p og ams o he
s uden s. The cul u al esponsi eness ha his me hod
p omo es does no only lead o a s onge lea ning p ocess
bu i also helps he s uden s’ cul u al iden i ies o be
ecognized and hus, inclusi i y and he sense o belonging
o he communi y a e enhanced (Gay, 2018) [3].
21s Cen u y Skills De elopmen
IKS in no way ep esen s ou da ed knowledge bu ac ually i
nu u es he c i ical hinking, p oblem-sol ing, c ea i i y,
and sus ainabili y o s uden s. Taking he example o
Ayu eda which concen a es on he holis ic wel a e o an
indi idual and hence he idea can be adop ed in he heal h
educa ion ield in con empo a y imes, he same goes o
Nyaya which ains he mind o be logically igo ous and so
he skills o easoning and analysis ge complimen ed wi h
i . The ibal ecological knowledge is a sou ce o he use ul
in o ma ion o cope wi h he challenges o clima e change
and o p ac ice sus ainabili y (Ag awal, 1995) [1].
S eng hening Teache Iden i y and Communi y
Engagemen
Teache s who ha e been acquain ed wi h IKS a e he ones
who can ac as cul u al media o s, essen ially he link
be ween schools and local communi ies. As a esul , we ge
he s eng hening o he eache s' iden i y, hei sense o
p o essionalism, and he communi y's us owa ds he
schools, which hen allows a mu ual exchange o knowledge
be ween he pa icipan s.
Challenges in Implemen ing IKS in Teache Educa ion
Epis emological Tensions
The usion o IKS wi h eache educa ion is a " ed lag
issue," epis emological ques ions abou he e y base o
knowledge a ise. Wes e n scien i ic pa adigms o en expec
numbe s and cha s as p oo , hus hei inhe en logic may
no sui he mos ly quali a i e, expe ien ial, and some imes
e en o al o ms o IK. The melding o hese wo ld iews
necessi a es he encoun e o mu ual espec and ecogni ion
bu wi hou sac i icing hei own epis emic in eg i y.
Risk o Tokenism and Essen ialism
On he one hand, pa ial o shallow in eg a ion o IKS may
esul in a me e addi ion o some olk ales o cul u al
e e ences o ex books which may lead o he isk o
okenism. In he same ein, essen ialis depic ions o IKS
migh unde s a e o s e eo ype he simple-mindedness o
in e nal plu ali y and luidi y (Smi h, 2012) [5] o IKS.
Facul y Capaci y and Resou ce Gaps
Mos ly, e ia y eache educa ion ins i u ions a e sho o
acul y p o icien in IKS. Besides ha , eaching ma e ials,
esea ch li e a u e, and open educa ional esou ces (OER) in
local languages a e s ill e y limi ed. The lack o esou ces
and capaci y building will be u ning he in eg a ion in o an
ambi ion a he han a eali y.
Language and T ansla ion Issues
Mos o adi ional and indigenous knowledge a e passed on
h ough Sansk i , P ak i , Pali, and local dialec s. Besides
his, he e a e many dis inc and isola ed ibes sp ead o e
di e se emo e a eas. Wi h ansla o s, i migh be a mess o
meanings and loss o e en he inies o nuances some imes
making e y di icul w i ing ep esen a ions ha a e close
o he o iginal ones.
Assessmen and Acc edi a ion Cons ain s
The cu en eache educa ion cu icula a e designed o be in
ha mony wi h he acc edi a ion adminis a ion and a e
compa ible wi h s anda dized assessmen s. The e migh be
p oblems in he in eg a ion o IKS con en in o hese
in lexible s uc u es which in e ec may aise ques ions
such as hose ega ding e alua ion c i e ia, ce i ica ion, and
ins i u ional accoun abili y.
Conce ns o Academic Rigo and Inclusi i y
The skep ics p opose ha he accep ance o IKS in school
migh lead o weakening he academic quali y o igo ,
especially i he knowledge base is no pu h ough c i ical
sc u iny. Besides ha , he p ac ice o domina ing ce ain
adi ions o e o he s may lead o mino i ies o less-
documen ed wo ks ge ing pushed aside, he eby losing
g ound in inclusi i y.
P oposed Implemen a ion F amewo k
S epwise Capaci y Building
The i s mo e o an o ganiza ion mus be eache aining
wo kshops, IKS esea ch isi ing schola p og am, and
collabo a ions wi h knowledge holde s, slowly bu su ely
becoming mo e compe en . Alongside con en knowledge,
eache educa o s ha e o be empowe ed wi h pedagogical
knowledge as well.
Communi y Engagemen and Co-C ea ion
Village olks, c a smen, and p o essionals migh be ac i ely
pa icipa ing in he eaching p ocess and no passi e
ecipien s o in o ma ion. The pa icipa o y model a ibu es
alue o eal-li e knowledge and gua an ees ha he eache
educa ion emains g ounded in genuine p ac ices.
De elopmen o Open Educa ional Resou ces (OERs)
IKS con en c ea ed in easily unde s andable o ma s and
ansla ed in o egional dialec s can make he access o
knowledge less eli is . The ole o digi al pla o ms in
dissemina ing IKS con en a and wide canno be
o e emphasized.
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In eg a ion in o Cu iculum and P ac icum
The cu iculum design s age should see he wea ing o IKS
ac oss he ounda ion, pedagogy, and p ac icum segmen s.
P ac icum expe iences can in ol e going down deep in o
communi y p ac ices, en i onmen al esea ch, o na i e a s.
Resea ch and E alua ion Mechanisms
Tigh and ho ough scien i ic me hodologies should be
employed o gauge he e ec s o IKS in eg a ion on he
iden i ies o eache , s uden lea ning, and communi y
pa icipa ion. Cons an esea ch se es o imp o e p ac ices
and add ess igo - ela ed c i iques.
Sa egua ding Plu alism and Equi y
The associa ion mus no be designed in such a way ha i
ad an ages he mo e powe ul g oups in he his o y o
science, ins ead, i shall ecognize he di e se ield o
knowledge he i age o India. Social jus ice p inciples should
pe mea e e e y decision made in o de o ensu e ha he
oices o he disen anchised and mino i y g oups a e hea d.
Implica ions o Teache Educa ion Policy
IKS inco po a ion in eache educa ion will ha e o go
h ough a well-s uc u ed policy sys em. The Na ional
Educa ion Policy (NEP) 2020 [4] is de ini ely a mas e plan
bu pu ing i in o ac ion equi es he collabo a ion o
acc edi a ion bodies, s a e-le el eache educa ion councils,
and unding mechanisms. Policies need o emphasize
mul ilingualism, in e disciplina y app oaches, and esea ch
incen i es.
Conclusion
The inclusion o Indian Knowledge Sys ems in o eache
educa ion is bo h a nod o mo ali y and an opening in
pedagogy. I es o es he pas injus ices, eju ena es eache
iden i y, and esponds o he wo ldwide demand o
decen e ing educa ion. Howe e , o ge a eal
implemen a ion, i is necessa y o ge o e he
epis emological ensions, acul y capaci y sho ages, and
s uc u al cons ain s. IKS will ne e be jus ano he subjec
in eache educa ion bu a ib an one i enabled h ough
capaci y building, communi y engagemen , OER
de elopmen , and plu alis ic policies. The ex en o which
his will be success ul will ely on he use o c i ical,
e idence-based, and con ex -sensi i e app oaches ha s ike
a balance be ween adi ion and inno a ion. I done wi h
c ea i i y, in eg a ing IKS can con e eache educa ion
in o a mo e inclusi e, sus ainable, and cul u ally esonan
en e p ise.
Re e ences
1. Ag awal A. Indigenous and scien i ic knowledge: Some
c i ical commen s. De elopmen and Change.
1995;26(3):413-439. doi:10.1111/j.1467-
7660.1995. b00560.x
2. F icke M. Epis emic injus ice: Powe and he e hics o
knowing. Ox o d: Ox o d Uni e si y P ess; c2007.
3. Gay G. Cul u ally esponsi e eaching: Theo y,
esea ch, and p ac ice. 3 d ed. New Yo k: Teache s
College P ess; c2018.
4. Minis y o Educa ion, Go e nmen o India. Na ional
Educa ion Policy 2020. New Delhi: Go e nmen o
India; c2020. A ailable om:
h ps://www.educa ion.go .in/nep-2020
5. Smi h LT. Decolonizing me hodologies: Resea ch and
indigenous peoples. 2nd ed. London: Zed Books;
c2012.
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