India wants to bring back ancient Vedic education schools — billionaire yoga guru Ramdev leads the race

• India is planning to launch its first vedic school board.
  
• Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali is reportedly among the top contenders.
  
• Three years ago, India’s government rejected Ramdev’s plea to establish the vedic education board citing concerns over the Indian government recognising a private school board.

Three years after rejecting the idea of introducing a ‘Vedic’ education board, India’s government is reportedly planning to launch one.

According to an Indian Express report, on Saturday, a government panel comprising five members recommended yoga Guru Baba Ramdev to head the ‘Bharatiya Shiksha Board (BSB)’.

Once implemented, the BSB is expected to benefit educational institutions run by Arya Samaj and gurukuls, which are not presently supported by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), according to the report.

The move is reportedly an effort to ‘standardise Indian traditional knowledge’ including vedic education, Sanskrit and Yoga. The board will include a syllabus, exams and certificates to integrate ‘Ved Vidya’ with modern education.

The governing panel’s vote will be evaluated by Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Vedavidya Pratishthan (MSRVP), a foundation headed and funded by Human Resource Minister Prakash Javadekar.

Earlier this month, when the MSRVP floated an ‘expression of interest’ to establish the vedic board, Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust was among three applicants who submitted a bid. The other two contenders were Ritnand Balved Education Foundation, which runs the Amity Group of Institutions, and Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune.

According to norms set out by the governing body, the sponsors of the board are required to have a minimum net worth of ₹3 billion and must be willing to contribute at least ₹500 million as corpus fund. Patanjali has reportedly committed at least ₹210 million.

The move reverses the government stance from three years ago. Former Education Minister Smriti Irani said the government had “reservations” about backing a private school board following Patanjali’s bid to create a Vedic board.

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