Environmental Approach Based on Indian Knowledge Tradition in Modern Education (In the Perspective of National Education Policy 2020)

This paper examines how Indian Knowledge Traditions (IKT) - including Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), sacred-grove practices, Agro-based knowledge, and community resource governance - can be integrated into modern environmental education under the framework of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Drawing on ecological scholarship, policy texts, and case studies from India, the paper develops an eco-pedagogical framework aligned with NEP 2020’s emphasis on experiential, interdisciplinary, and value-based learning. The study argues that IKT offers context-sensitive principles (reciprocity with nature, community stewardship, ritualized conservation) that complement contemporary environmental science, strengthen socio-ecological resilience, and enhance learners’ ecological literacy. The paper concludes with curriculum design suggestions, pedagogical strategies, assessment approaches, institutional and policy recommendations, and an implementation roadmap to operationalize an IKT-informed environmental education across school and higher-education levels in India.