This document discusses holistic and multidisciplinary education. It defines holistic education as engaging all aspects of learning - physical, emotional, cognitive, language and spiritual. A holistic approach integrates these different domains of learning. The document advocates for holistic education because research shows the importance of developing a child's wellbeing, not just academics. It discusses types of collaboration like multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary. It also outlines how the New Education Policy promotes holistic and multidisciplinary learning through initiatives like multidisciplinary universities, liberal arts education, STEM skills, research opportunities, multiple exit/entry points and more.

1. Dr.R.Ramnath
Alagappa University
Holistic
and
Multidisciplinary
Education

2. Holistic Education
• A philosophy of education based on the premise that
each person finds identity, meaning, and purpose in
life through connections to the community, to the natural
world, and to humanitarian values such as compassion
and peace.
• In an Education, means engaging and developing the
whole person through education.
• Helps to bring the development of the different levels
for the learners. [physical, emotional, cognitive, language
and spiritual].
• It's the concept that the human being is multi-

3. Why Holistic Education?
• The world research emphasizing the significance of holistic
approaches to education, early childhood educators are being
challenged to integrate a teaching practice that focuses less on
the traditional milestones of academic development, and more
on the complete physical, emotional and psychological
wellbeing of a child (UNESCO, 2002).
• The research is compelling and studies show that over time, even
persons with average IQ (Intellectual Intelligence) but with high
EI (Emotional Intelligence) are significantly more successful
than those with much higher IQs but low EI (Goleman, 1995).
• Cognitive, social, cultural, physical, emotional, and spiritual
dimensions of human development are integrally
interwoven.

4. • The curriculum takes up a model of learning that
weaves together elaborate patterns of linked
experience and meaning rather than
emphasizing the acquisition of discrete
skills.
• The child’s whole context, the physical surroundings, the
emotional context, relationships with others, and the
child’s immediate needs at any moment will
affect and modify how a particular
Why Holistic Education? Contd.

5. Holistic Approach..
Holistic
Approach
Physical
Language
Cognitive
Emotional
Social
Spiritual
Aesthetic
Nature
Creative

6. Why holistic approach ?
This integrated view of learning sees
• The child as a person who wants to learn, sees the task
as a meaningful whole, and sees the whole as
greater than the sum of its individual tasks or
experiences.
• Holistic Approach integrate learning and development.
• Constant, warm relationships that connect everything
together.
• Opportunities for open-ended exploration and play.

9. Holistic Approach in Institution
• Development is holistic; it consists of inter-dependent
dimensions.
• This means that the child’s development cannot be fragmented
into health, nutrition, education, social, emotional and spiritual
variables.
• All are interconnected in a child’s life and are developing
simultaneously.
• Progress in one area affects progress in others. Similarly,
when something goes wrong in any one of those areas, it has an
impact on all the other areas.
• Holistic Approach helps the child to over come from learning
difficulties. As it helps the child’s over all development.

10. A Typology of Collaboration
• Multidisciplinary
• Interdisciplinary
• Transdisciplinary

11. Multidisciplinary
• Multiple disciplines
• Each contributes their piece to solving a
problem
• Like an edited book or separate
presentations by multiple experts

12. Interdisciplinary
• A conversation between and
among disciplines
• Working together on solving a
common problem
• Like a collaborative health care
team

13. Transdisciplinary
• A sustained conversation across and beyond
disciplinary boundaries
• Creates a new shared idea / language
• Such as the emergence of family systems
medicine

16. Three Main Types of Participation
• Multidisciplinary
• Interdisciplinary
• Transdisciplinary

17. Multidisciplinary Teams
• Collaboration among many scientific
disciplines-crops, livestock, medical,
social.
• Often with minimal interaction between
each other-might be aware other groups
are around.

18. Interdisciplinary team(s)
• Deals with a subject at the frontier
between two disciplines-such as nutrition
(between food and health).
• Often a researcher may need training in
both disciplines.

19. Transdisciplinary Teams
• Based on continuous collaboration among
several disciplines. To some degree, all participate
in:
Development of protocols-to ensure all elements
of ecosystem are included
Conducting fieldwork
Interpreting and integrating results
Integration of different knowledge systems

20. Holistic
and
Multidisciplinary Education
through
NEP 2020

21. 64- Kalaas
• Daya – Compassion.
• Dharjya – Patience.
• Kshama – Forgiveness.
• Nyaya – Justice.
• Nirapeksha – Impartiality.
• Niraskata – Detachment.
• Tapasya – Meditation and Spiritual Powers.
• Aparchitta – Invincibility and so on. .....

22. Root for Holistic NEP-11.1 , P36
• 64 Kalaas
• 14 Vidyas
– 4Veda
– 4 Upa Veda
– 6 Vedangas

23. • 64 ‘arts’ are not only subjects, such as singing
and painting
• Also ‘scientific ’fields, such as chemistry and
mathematics.
• ‘Vocational ’ fields such as carpentry and
clothes-making,
• ‘Professional ’fields, such as medicine and
engineering,

24. Liberal Arts NEP-11.1, P36
• ‘knowledge of many arts’ or what in modern times is often called the
‘liberal arts’.
• During the era of classical antiquity, liberal arts was considered
essential education for a free individual active in civic life. At the
time, this would have entailed being able to participate in public
debate, defend oneself and serve in court and on juries, and
perform military service.
• At this time, liberal arts covered only three subjects: grammar,
rhetoric and logic, collectively known as the trivium.
•
This was extended in medieval times to include four further
subjects: arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy, named
the quadrivium – so there were seven liberal arts subjects in

25. Liberal arts education today?
• A typical liberal arts degree program is interdisciplinary, covering
topics within the humanities, as well as social, natural and formal
sciences.
• The liberal arts spectrum is generally accepted as covering the
following fields:
• Humanities – includes art, literature, linguistics, philosophy,
religion, ethics, modern foreign languages, music, theatre, speech,
classical languages etc.
• Social sciences – includes history, psychology, law, sociology,
politics, gender studies, anthropology, economics, geography,
business informatics, etc.
• Natural sciences – includes astronomy, biology, chemistry,
physics, botany, archaeology, zoology, geology, Earth sciences, etc.

26. Career Paths
• Academia: the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills gained from a liberal arts
education will lend an extra dimension as you explore, research, and/or teach a
chosen subject.
• Art: photography, commercial art, painting, interior, graphic and visual design
• Education: pursue additional qualifications to become a teacher, where you can use
your breadth of knowledge to help a wider range of students, or to teach a wider
range of subjects.
• Interpreter: many liberal arts students learn at least one foreign language, which can
help you become a qualified translator, transcriber or interpreter, become a foreign
language teacher or journalist, or work in the tourism and travel industry.
• Marketing: whether you choose advertising, promotions, public relations, journalism,
news editing or copywriting, the humanities subjects you covered will help you
understand people better, while your communication skills will help you be better
understood.
• Political science: careers in this field include law, public policy, politics, business,
and working for NGOs and charities.
• Other career paths: biology (healthcare, laboratory assistant, research assistant),
business (entrepreneur, store manager, salesperson), event planning, environment
(conservation, public policy), finance (banker, accountant, financial analyst), law
enforcement, research analysis (combining statistics and psychology), and social

27. STEM NEP-11.2 P,36
A curriculum based on the idea of
educating students in four specific
disciplines — science, technology,
engineering and mathematics — in an
interdisciplinary and applied approach.11-
Feb-2014
•

28. STEM- key skills
• problem
solving
• creativity
• critical analysis
• Teamwork
•independent
thinking
•initiative
•communication
•digital literacy

29. Social Engagement , NEP-11.3 P,36
• A holistic and multidisciplinary education would
aim to develop all capacities of human beings -
intellectual, aesthetic, social, physical,
emotional, and moral in an integrated manner.
• in fields across the arts, humanities, languages,
sciences, social sciences, and professional,
technical, and vocational fields; an ethic of social
engagement.

30. NEP-11.4 P,37
• Even engineering institutions, such as IITs, will
move towards more holistic and
multidisciplinary education with more arts
and humanities.
• Students of arts and humanities will aim to
learn more science and all will make an effort
to incorporate more vocational subjects and
soft skills.

31. Multiple Entry and Exit Points NEP-11.5 P,37
• Imaginative and flexible curricular structures will
enable creative combinations of disciplines for study, and
would offer multiple entry and exit points
• Removing currently prevalent rigid boundaries and
creating new possibilities for life-long learning.
• Graduate-level, master’s and doctoral education in large
multidisciplinary universities, while providing rigorous
research-based specialization, would also provide
opportunities for multidisciplinary work, including in
academia, government, and industry.

32. Flexibility in curriculum & novel and engaging course
NEP-11.6 P,37
Pedagogy will have an increased emphasis
on
• communication,
• discussion,
• debate,
• research, and
• opportunities
for cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary
thinking.

33. Credits NEP-11.7 P,37
• Subjects needed for a multidisciplinary,
stimulating Indian education and
environment will be established and
strengthened at all HEIs.
• Credits will be given in all Bachelor’s Degree
programmes for these subjects if they are
done from such departments or through ODL
mode when they are not offered in-class at the
HEI.

34. Global Citizenship Education (GCED)
NEP-11.8 P,37
• Projects in the areas of community engagement and
service, environmental education, and value-based
education.
• Environment education will include areas such as
climate change, pollution, waste management,
sanitation, conservation of biological diversity,
management of biological resources and biodiversity,
forest and wildlife conservation, and sustainable
development and living.
• Value-based education will include the development of
humanistic, ethical, Constitutional, and universal
human values of truth (satya), righteous conduct
(dharma), peace (shanti), love (prem), nonviolence

35. Research Internships NEP-11.8 P,37
• Students at all HEIs will be provided with
opportunities for internships with local
industry, businesses, artists, crafts persons,
etc.,
• Research Internships with faculty and
researchers at their own or other
HEIs/research institutions, so that students
may actively engage with the practical side of
their learning and, as a by-product, further
improve their employability.

36. Multiple Exit Options NEP-11.9 P,37
The undergraduate degree will be of either 3 or 4-
year duration, with multiple exit options within this
period, with appropriate certifications, e.g.,
– a certificate after completing 1 year in a discipline or field
including vocational and professional areas,
– a diploma after 2 years of study,
– a Bachelor ’s degree after a 3-year programme.
– the 4-year multidisciplinary Bachelor's programme,
– Allows the opportunity to experience the full range of
holistic and multidisciplinary education in addition to
a focus on the chosen major and minors as per the
choices of the student.

37. Academic Bank of Credit (ABC) NEP-11.9 P,37
An Academic Bank of Credit (ABC)
shall be established which would digitally
store the academic credits earned from
various recognized HEIs so that the
degrees from an HEI can be awarded
taking into account credits earned.
NAD

38. Different Designs of Master’s Programmes
NEP-11.10 P,38
• (a) there may be a 2-year programme with the
second year devoted entirely to research for those
who have completed the 3-year Bachelor ’s
programme;
• (b) for students completing a 4-year Bachelor ’s
programme with Research, there could be a 1-
year Master’s programme; and
• (c) there may be an integrated 5-year
Bachelor’s/Master’s programme.
• Undertaking a Ph.D. shall require either a
Master’s degree or a 4-year Bachelor’s degree
with Research.

39. MERU NEP-11.11 P,38
• Model public universities for holistic and
multidisciplinary education, at par with IITs,
IIMs, etc.,
• MERUs (Multidisciplinary Education
and Research Universities) aim to attain
the highest global standards in quality
education.

40. Research Hub NEP-11.12 P,38
research and innovation by
• incubation centres;
• technology development centres;
• centres in frontier areas of research;
• greater industry-academic linkages; and
• interdisciplinary research including humanities
and social sciences research.

41. NRF, NEP-11.12 P,38
• National Research Foundation (NRF) — which
found a place in Prime Minister Modi's national
address on the Independence Day
• An autonomous body envisaged under the New
Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• The NRF aims to fund researchers working
across streams in India.

42. Multidisciplinary Institution NEP-11.3 P,34
• A higher education institution (HEI), i.e., a university or a college.
• A university will mean a multidisciplinary institution of higher
learning that offers undergraduate and graduate programmes, with
high quality teaching, research, and community engagement.
• The definition of university will thus allow a spectrum of institutions
that range from those that place equal emphasis on teaching and
research
• i.e., Research-intensive Universities, those that place greater
emphasis on teaching but still conduct significant research
• i.e. Teaching-intensive Universities.
• Meanwhile, an Autonomous degree-granting College (AC) will
refer to a large multidisciplinary institution of higher learning
that grants undergraduate degrees and is primarily focused on
undergraduate teaching though it would not be restricted to that

43. Extension NEP-10.6 P,35
• In addition to teaching and research, HEIs will
have other crucial responsibilities, which they
will discharge through appropriate resourcing,
incentives, and structures.
• These include supporting other HEIs in their
development, community engagement and
service, contribution to various fields of
practice, faculty development for the higher
education system, and support to school
education.

44. Multidisciplinary By 2030, NEP-10.7 P,35
• By 2040, all higher education institutions (HEIs) shall aim
to become multidisciplinary institutions and shall aim to
have larger student enrolments preferably in the
thousands,
• for optimal use of infrastructure and resources, and for
the creation of vibrant multidisciplinary communities.
• Since this process will take time, all HEIs will firstly plan
to become multidisciplinary by 2030, and then gradually
increase student strength to the desired levels.

45. Multidisciplinary HEI NEP-10.8 P,35
• More HEIs shall be established and developed in underserved
regions to ensure full access, equity, and inclusion.
• There shall, by 2030, be at least one large
multidisciplinary HEI in or near every district.
• Steps shall be taken towards developing high-quality higher
education institutions both public and private that have
medium of instruction in local/Indian languages or bilingually.
• The aim will be to increase the Gross Enrolment Ratio in
higher education including vocational education from
26.3% (2018) to 50% by 2035.
• While a number of new institutions may be developed to
attain these goals, a large part of the capacity creation will
be achieved by consolidating, substantially expanding, and
also improving existing HEIs.

46. Schemes For Instance
• Deep Continental Studies (DCS)
• Himalayan Glaciology (HG)
• Indian Climate Research Programme (ICRP)
• Instrument Development Programe (IDP)
• International S&T Cooperation (ISTC)
• Joint Technology Projects under STAC/IS-STAC
• Monsoon and Tropical Climate (MONTCLIM) &
Agrometeorology
• Natural Resources Data Management System

47. R&D Schemes For Instance
• Science & Engineering Research Council
(SERC)
· Science & Society Programmes (SSP)
· Seismology Programme (SP)
· State Science & Technology Programme
(SSTP) · Technology Development Programme
(Joint Technology –Technology System
Programme)

48. Thank You
rrnathedu@gmail.com
rrnathedn@yahoo.co.in