A value-based education system deeply rooted in the eternal rich Indian culture and civilization alone is  the only solution to the apparent problem of diminishing moral values among the new generation, opined Swami Swaroopananda, the Director of the prestigious Chinmaya International Residential School in Coimbatore, India who is also the Regional Head of Chinmaya Mission Australia, United Kingdom and the Far East.

A familiar visitor to Bahrain, he was in the Kingdom to deliver a series of talks titled  ‘Reshape Your Destiny’  from February 18 to 22 at Bahrain Society of Engineers Hall, Juffair. The event was organized by Chinmaya Society Bahrain as a part of the year-long celebrations during this 100th birth centenary of Swami Chinmayananda, spiritual leader and teacher who inspired the formation of Chinmaya Mission, a worldwide nonprofit organization, formed to spread the knowledge of Advaita Vedanta, the non-dual system of thought found in the Upanishads, which epitomise the philosophical teachings of the Vedas.

According to Swami  Swaroopananda, value-based education promotes effective learning and underpins the continuous improvement of personal, professional, social, national and spiritual wellbeing of an individual.  Most of us think that education is only for employment, whereas we must understand that education is basically for empowerment and ultimately for enlightenment. It provides you with the basic strength and support to survive in the world, and teaches you to learn lessons so as to lead a life of success and satisfaction. If you are well educated, you become independent to  take up various tasks by yourself without depending on others.  It provides you basic confidence and you can survive in any part of the world.  Education serves as a launching pad for your career and life. A school should provide a safe, positive, intense learning environment that will empower students to become creative problem solvers, critical thinkers, and inspired learners for their future careers and life in the twenty- first century.

The purpose of education is to make students capable of living their lives fully at all levels of their personalities. They should be able to face the numerous challenges of life and carve out a purposeful future for themselves.

Chinmaya Residential schools groom students in noble cultural values and create a thirst for greater knowledge in them, so that they discover the mysteries of nature and the world around them, said Swami Swaroopananda.

The resounding success of the Chinmaya Education Movement, based on the much acclaimed Chinmaya Vision Program, has been primarily due to its unique vision of offering academic education complemented with spiritual knowledge, he added.