Passage - In our country, regrettably, teaching and learning for the examination have been our forte but the new demands of society and the future of work require critical and independent thinking, learning through doing, asking questions from multiple disciplinary perspectives on the same issue, using evidence for building arguments, and reflecting and articulation. Higher education should not ‘either be a mere servant of the government policy or a passive respondent to public mood.’ Higher learning is all about how to think rather than what to think. Teaching has to be re-invented.
Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea conveyed by the passage?
The passage culminates with the definitive statement, ‘Teaching has to be re-invented.’ The preceding discussion elaborates on the necessity for higher education to transition from examination-centric rote learning to cultivating critical and independent thinking, active learning through doing, interdisciplinary inquiry, evidence-based argumentation, and reflective articulation. This central theme of reimagining the learning environment and pedagogical methods is accurately reflected in option (D).
Option (A) is incorrect as the passage does not address the issue of resource availability or funding constraints for promoting quality education in Indian universities. Its focus is on the methodology and philosophy of teaching and learning.
Option (B) is incorrect. While the passage advocates for higher learning to transcend being a ‘mere servant of the government policy or a passive respondent to public mood,’ implying intellectual autonomy, it does not propose the complete removal of government control over institutions of higher learning.
Option (C) is incorrect. The passage emphasizes the need to ‘re-invent’ teaching and ‘reimagine’ the classroom approach to align with contemporary demands. It does not suggest the elimination or abandonment of the classroom as a mode of higher education delivery.