Chapter - XV

Gandhiji's Philosophy Of Education

4.1 Ideal Education For India.

The significance and importance of education can never be exhausted. It is delicate,

and if not carried out meticulously it can be extremely disastrous. What is primarily and

basically needed for any programme of education is a clear and distinct sense of direction. In

other words, an educational planner ought to have very clear and indubitable ideas and

visions as to where he wants to take tomorrows generation of civil society. In the context of

Indian society and Indian nation, the direction ought to be clear to all sane minds as it is

self-luminant in unambiguous terms.

Ours is a great nation with great culture, the culture that had made definite and very

significant contributions to the world. Our cultural past is not free from shadows of

yesterday and today. No one can think in terms of living on the past glory alone. The past

glory is a definite reality with us: but our present do not have much of the lefi+vers from

yesterdays. To my mind, there shall not be my difference when I say that we must try to

make our future glorious on the basis of the past glory; a task which is difficult and easy at

the same time. It is easy because our goals are set by the past, our desideratum is

unambiguous. Obviously this is not any going back; on the contrary it is going forward. It is

dificutt because one really have much work to do and go a long way in shaping our

desideratum to the requirements of the future, and great work need to be done in this

direction.

The strength of Indian nation comes from our heritage, culture, philosophy and

above-all spirituality. The archetype lndian mind is one of the most amiable in the entire

world, which bases itself in spirituality and expresses itself through brotherhood of man as

well as love and respect to the all living beings and non-living things of the entire world. A

model Indian mind treats the entire world as one fmiiy, incIuding living beings and

non-living things ('Vasudhaiva kutumbakain'). Indeed, when the world is becoming a

global village, India's contribution to the world society shall be such things, and if one looses

them, then the world misses them permanently.

Thus any education programme in India ought to be for national resurgence through

cultural resurgence. One must not mistake Indian culture as the culture of the Hindu religion.

Hindu or any other religion is only a matter of faith and transcendental aspirations for the

followers of such faiths. Through out history, the Indians were not homogenous in terms of

faiths, rituals and transcendental aspirations. We always had plurality of faith and other faith-

related aspects. Throughout history we coexisted amicably by accepting each others faiths.

Thus, when other faiths came from other lands it was only natural for our ancestors to accept

and revere them, though such faiths came with the attitude that their's is the only right faith.

But then, when such faiths took rmts in Indian soil, they too became lndian culturally, and

left far behind the attitude of 'I am only right'. Thus, the secuIarism that other societies or

nations practice for the sake of social w-existence and other prudential considerations had

always been an essential and internal ingradient to a model mind.

An education programme in India must have this objective of making the model

Indian mind a reality for the future generations, Thus we can ensure a glorious future far our

great nation. lf one does not move in the right direction, our education woujd only be able to

produce people who are skilled in producing material goods ignoring spiritual well-being.

Above all, the requinement of global market shdl compel us to keep changing our education

programme as per the job requirements of the international Business; prduction and trade.

Thus our mastas shali always come from far flung lands. Indeed, the Mal@itma's thoughts in

terms of education was to create model Indian minds.

Gandhiji's Philosophy of education is a product of his general philosophy of life

which is broadly based on Truth, Non-Violence and non-exploitative Sarvaaya way of life.

Spirituality, which forms the core of Gandhian philosophy finds its full expression in his

educational philosophy. In formulating his educational philosophy he drew extensively from

his practical experiences in educating children who were under his care in his Asrams;

therefore, his educational philosophy attains practical applicability, when planned and

applied properly. The failure of ~asic\wardha scheme of education was not due to its

impracticability, but due to the poor planning and implementation of those who were

involved in these processes.

The educational philosophy Gandhiji propounded was in tune with Indian tradition

and therefore completely acceptable to dl those who had inkling of Indian traditions. It

might have been unpleasant to a few, who having tasted the sensual appeal of Western

materialistic culture, have found all types of faults with Gandhian education. Gandhiji

himself has this to say abut his programme of education:

"1 have given many things to India, but this system of education 'together with its technique is, I feel, the best o f them. I do not think 1 will have anything better to offer the country" I .

Now let us take a detailed look at the different aspects of Gandhian philosophy of education.

4.2 Gandhiji's Definitiou of Educatiou

Though many have attempted to give a definition for education, educational process

is so wide-ranging and all-embracing that a clear verbal definition is an impossibility; yet

Gandhiji has given one of the best definitions for 'education', and it runs thus:

"By education I mean all-round drawing out of the best in child and man-body, mind and spirit"'.

This definition is pregnant with ideas, and word-by-word explanation shows the deep

understanding Gandhiji had about education. Here the term 'all-round' means that man is

neither mere intellect nor the gross animal body, nor the heart or soul alone; but a proper and

harmonious combination of all these constituting a whole man. The term 'drawing out'

implies that God has endowed man with all the abilities he needs, from birth, but it only

needs to be developed or drawn out by providing necessary outside factors. This also shows

that education is a drawing out pracess and not a 'pouring-in' process as envisaged in

traditional education. Gandhiji believed that true education is that which draws out and

stimulates the spiritual, intellectual and physical faculties of children. 'Drawing out' again

implies that tremendous capacity is coiled inside the child like a spring and it only needs

somebody (teacher) to bring it out. This shows that nothing is newly created in a child, but

whatever is needed is already put in its proper place by the Creator. ' In child and man'

implies that education does not merely stop when the child leaves the formal school system,

but is a continuing process during the whole life of the individual. According to Gandhiji,

education starts from birth or rather at conception, and ends only in the grave, that is,

education is life-tong. 'Best in Child and Man' means all the different aspects- body, mind,

and spirit, needed for the harmonious development of a whole person. Gandhiji believed that

individuals should develop into 'whole' beings, and not into fractured personalities.

When we look at the definitions of education given by a few other philosopher -

cum-educationists, then we can perceive the beauty and wholeness of Gandhiji's definition.

For example:

Aristotle : Creation of sound mind in a sound body - Spiritual aspect remains neglected here.

Dewey: ' Increasing Social efficiency' Spiritual aspect remains neglected here too.

Erasmus: 'ControIling the mindt :Spiritual and Physical aspects are not mentioned here at all.

Herbart : ' Developing moral ityt: Physical and intellectual aspects remain unclear here.

William James: 'Fitting the individual to his physical and social environment: Spiritual aspect is neglected here.

Krishnamurthy J.: ' Helping the individual to flower greatly in love and goodness'. Physical aspect is not mentioned here.

Nehru : ' Enabling the individual to be producer, as well as a good citizen': Spiritual aspect is neglectd here.

Plato: ' Developing in the body and the soul of all the perfection which they are capable of : Akin to Gandhij i's definition.

Dr. Radhakrishnan S. : *Training the intellect, refinement of the heart and discipline of the spirit' : Physical aspect is neglected here.

Spencer: Preparing for complete living': The term 'complete living needs clarification as to whether it includes aspects of soul also; but Spencer being a Naturalist it is doubtful.

Vivekananda: 'Manifestation of the perfection already in man': akin to Plato's definition and also approximates Gandhiji's definition.

Zakir Hussain: 'Helping the mind of the educand to realize the absolute moral and intellectual values' : Physical aspect is neglected here.

4.3 Meaning of Education.

From a broader point of view, aIf life thoughtfully lived is education. Thus

'Education is life and life is ducation', as Lodge and Raymond have expressed. it includes

every aspect of our life, social, cultural, re1 igious, political, domestic, economic,

geographical, international, environmental, etc. The bite of a mosquito, tasting of orange,

listening to the sounds of birds and other animals, taking note of weather variations - all are

educational experiences; and one only stops being educated when all life activity ceases.

With regard to acquisition of knowledge, the traditional Indian belief is that an individual

gets one-fourth of his education from his teacher, another fourth from his own intellectual

efforts, another fourth from his fellow students and the rest in the course of time through life

and experience. Gandhiji believed that the educational process should be integrated and

correlated to different aspects of life. He has taken a broad view of education, thereby

freeing it from organid institutions and throwing it open for common man throughout his

whole life. As a social reformer Gandhiji wanted to use education for implimenting his

philosophy of Sarv6daya and non-violence for realizing Truth.

4.4 Aims of Education.

The aim of education vary from philosopher to philosopher and also amongst

educationists depending on their particular angle of viewing at education. Those who desire

societal good draw out favorable social outcome as the aim of education; whereas those who

favour individual good draw out favourable individual outcome as the aim of education. For

some,material achievement may be the priority, whereas for others spiritual achievement.

So the aim of education would depend on the philosophical outlook of the individual.

As befitting Gandhiji's Sarvodaya philosophy, his most important aim of education

was service to the society. Indian mystics of various schools have also been emphasizing

this aspect of social service for a very long time. In his New Education or 'Nai Tdim',

Gandhiji aims at the harmonious development of the individual in dynamic interaction with

the environment, in a spirit of educated service. Gandhi believed that the social aim of

education did not come into conflict with the individual aim of education. He said that man

is to serve society and society is to help man. So the relationship is complementary ; truely in

line with the Indian concept of education as ensuring harmony between the individual and

social aims. Gandhiji opined that:

"The end of all education should surely be service, and if a student gets an opportunity of rendering service even whilst he is studying, he should consider it a rare opportunity and treat it not really as a suspension of his education but rather its comp1ernent"3.

On the individual level Gandhiji gave great importance to character development.

There is an ancient aphorism which says, 'if wealth is lost nothing is lost; if health is lost,

something is lost; but if character is lost,everything is lost'. Gandhiji was in hundred percent

agreement with this statement as we can perceive from his following observation:

"All our learning or recitation of vcdas, correct knowledge of Sanskrit, Latin, Greek and what not will avail us nothing if they do not enable us to cultivate absolute purity of heart. The end of all knowledge must be building up of c h m e r " 4 .

Reiterating this conviction Gandhiji writes in his autobiography thus:

"I had always given the fmt place to the culture of the heart, or the building of character.. 1 regarded character building as the proper foundation for their education and if the foundation was firmly laid, I was sure the children could learn all the other things themselves or with the assistance of friend@.

This idea of character-building is also emphasized by Sw-mi V i v E b d a when he says that

the end of all education, all training should be man-making.

Character-building aspect of education also gets prominence in Rousseau's

naturalistic programme of education:

"It matters littie to me, whether any pupil be designed for the army, the bar, or the pulpit. Nature has destined us to the office of human life ... To live in the profession 1 would teach him. When I have done with him i t is true, he will be neither a lawer, a soldier, nor a divine. Let him fist be a man, he will on occasion as soon become anything else, that a man ought to be, as any other person whatever. Fortune may remove him from one rank to another as she

pleases, he will be always sound in his

Character has two aspects: the .one that is personal, and the other which manifests

itself in our relationship with miety. Both these aspects should be pure and unsullied. Right

from the ancient seers down to the great personalities of our modem timesall those whom

we consider as standard-bearers of our philosophy and culture, have been wholly pure-their

thought, word and deed,all in tune with the highest truth.

Character is the product of innate endowment, influence of environment and constant

introspection. Good acts and habits are the basis of good character and therefore character

formation is a continuous process from life to death. Gandhiji has observed that character

building must come from within. In our education system,character building is given great

importance as can be seen fiom the secondary Education Commission's report:

"Character is forged on the anvil of action - of every kind of action, academic, social, manual, or moral - and the way in which the student performs his manifold duties in school, or at home leaves an indelible impression on himtq7.

From the Spiritual/Religious plane, Gandhiji's ultimate aim of education is

self-realization. This concept of self-reaiization or moksa is ingrained in the Indian psyche

and could be attained, according to Gandhiji, by serving the smiety and not by withdrawing

from it. The concept of miiksa, in Gandhiji's view, gets merged with Dharma and has no

independent existence. Mo- can only be achieved if one does his dharma i.e. playing

whatever role he has to play in order to maintain the universe. Gandhiji's ideal in this respect

is Buddha who assumed the role of BXhisZitwa so as to oversee the m&qa of every living

atom in this universe. A serious philosopher, or a rigorist may object to Gandhiji's way of

handling the concept of self-realization, M 6 k s Dharma etc. Indeed Gandhiji uses many

philosophical and religious concepts very loosely, mostly to suit communicating his ideas to

the common man.

I would like to make one thing very clear at this point. Gandhiji never had any

training at all in philosophy, and above all he was no academic. He was also not a trained

educationist, but his educational ideas are the outcome of his practical knowledge in

imparting education to the children of his A&ams. Gandhiji was a very down-to-earth

practicai man; he simply was doing things,and wanted things to happen in the right way.

Philosophy, Religion, Education, Culture, law, and all other things in which he involved

were with the good intention of making real changes to improve the society-

There is also another aspect to this. Undoubtedly, the M a l @ a was an original

thinker. As an original thinker, it becomes natural for him to coin new words, concepts,

change meanings of already existing concepts etc. Thus it becomes our duty to find out new

meanings and concepts as they get used. And precisely, this is what makes philosopher out

of the personality of the MMtma.

According to ancient Indian wisdom,bondage to sensuality arises due to attachments

to mundane world. This bondage and attachment is due to ignorance. Here,ignorance means

ignorance of the true nature of the self-soul. The soul, in reality is that ultimate reality itself.

Knowledge here ultimately means knowledge of the true nature of the self or soul. Soul or

Atman, and the ultimate reality or B d p y are one and the same. It is due to 'avidya' or

ignorance that they are looked at as separate. The UpaniFic &%ti Maitra

amply demonstrates this principle. The highest knowledge is seen as the knowledge of the

self, which means the knowledge that the self or soul is the ultimate reality. The concept of

self-realization, realizing the self, or 'Itmajfiha simply means this. Through such

knowledge, one realizes the illusory nature of attachment, bondage and separate identity etc.

The Sloka 'Asatoma Sat garnaya' says about what is education in this spirit.

Dr. Radhakr i sh , the eminent Indian Philosopher also agrees with this aim of education.

"The aim of education is neither national efficiency nor world solidarity, but making the individual feel that he has within himself something d e w than intellect, call it spirit if you likew8.

Gandhiji, in allotting great importance to spiritual development in education, is so

oRen being accused of attempting to spiritualize the field of education as he was accused of

spiritualizing politics. Gandhiji said that to develop spirit means to work towards a

knowledge of God and self-realization. To bring about spiritual regeneration of humanity,

we must start with the education of the child. Present-day materialistic world promotes

prideful, argumentative and acquisitive tendencies in children which is not conducive for

spiritual development. Topics which are suitable for the development of spirit should have a

place in our education. Through this type of education the animal and base instincts in man

can be curbed, thus enabling him to realize his potential. It is thus a process of sublimation

or a process of self-realization or emancipation,

Another aim of education, corollary to the above one, according to Gandhiji

is liberation. Here liberation simply does not mean liberation of lndia from foreign

domination alone, but liberation of whole man: freedom from egoistic passions, freedom

from hate, anger, avarice, sloth, liberation from the slavery to what Indian tradition calls the

six enemies of man: K h a r h (lust), Kr6dhai (anger), l6bhaii-1 (greed), mGharh (avarice),

ahatink-ii (pride) and ilasyah (sloth). The struggle for liberation, in the Mahatma's mind,

was a struggle for the freedom from sin, not merely freedom from the British. Freedom from

fear can be considered as a prereqisite for achieving all other aims of education. The term

'fearlessness' implies that we should neither fear anything, nor in anyway inflict fear on

others.

To be fearless is to be self-respecting, and to be self-respecting is to be cultivating

and acquiring all positive connotations of manhood. Respecting the self in any authentic

form must be respecting the qualities that the self possesses, which stand to test in

day-tday life constantly on a regular basis. Through the experimentations on a day-today

and regular basis, the Self can directly know how distinct and better is it from others and

aY=r close ords tt from great personalities who function as models. Thus self-respect is far flung

from commonly experienced egocentrism which is baseless and spurious.

it is difficult to say which aspect of a person's character is the most important one,

but in the G T ~ the Lord names it as Fearlessness. Therefore our whole education should be

based on fearlessness, and so should the whole social and political structure of the country.

4.5. GANDHUI'S VIEWS ON EDUCATION.

4.5.1 Views on Existing System of Education,

Gsndhiji was very critical of the education system introduced by Macaulay because it

was instrumental in enslaving Indians.

"It is my considered opinion that English Education in the manner it has been given has emasculated the English-sducated Indians, it has put a severe strain upon the Lndian students' nervous energy, and has made of us

imitators. No country can become a nation by producing a race of imitatorsM9.

Gandhiji was highly critical of the literary education imparted in the primary schools

under the British. According to Gandhiji character-building should be the foundation of

primary education and further education built on this strong foundation would Iast fox ever.

He says:

"My experience has proved to my satisfaction that literary training by itself adds not an inch to one's moral height and character-building is independent of literary training. 1 am firmly of the opinion that Government schools have unmanned us, rendered us helpless and Godless. They have filled us with dis- content, and providing no remedy for the discontent, have made us despondent. They have made us what we were intended to become, clerks and interpreters" 1 0.

Gandhi further laments that:

"Higher education makes us foreigners in our own country" I 1 .

M&5tma believed that the use of English has created a permanent bar between the

highly educated few and the uneducated many. it had prevented knowledge from percolating

to the masses. Teeming millions of Indians were wrought in ignorance, superstition, inertia

and illiteracy. What-ever education given to a small fraction of children was a waste as it

was given in a passive manner. The chiId was a mere listener. Some smattering information

was pumped into the child, without his realizing the value of the knowledge given to him.

Education was not related to life. No training was given in developing the power of

observation. Practical work was conspicuous by its absence. No sense of citizenship was

developed. Gandhiji was convinced that the prevailing system of primary education was not

only wasteful but positively harmful. He remarked:

"Most of the boys are lost to the parents and to the occupation to which they are born. They pick up evil habits and affect urban ways and got a smattering of something which might be anything but education"l2.

Gandhiji, as we have seen, gave great importance to wholesome

spirituality-spirituality which gave due consideration to all religions depending on the merit

of their teachings; whereas the British in their zest to popularize Christianity, wherever they

gave lessons in religion,irnparted a one-sided view of religion favouring Christianity and

neglecting local ones. This created disharmony among the native Indian population, thereby

bringing disunity among the people. This was quite agreeable to the British as they were

masters in the policy of 'divide and rule'. As a direct result of British education and

administrative policy, the harmony and brotherhood which existed among Indians by virtue

of their tradition of tolerance was destroyed.

Another point of criticism leveled against British education was that by encouraging

English language, they blocked the development of indian languages. Before the Britishers

came, Hindustki, Urdu and Arabic used to be. the medium of education in local schools; but

due to the Government policy that only English-educated persons could secure government

jobs, people started gravitating towards English schools resulting in the closure of vernacular

schools, thereby bringing about neglect and decay of Indian languages.

Another defect of the British education was the over-emphasis on literacy in

educational institutions which paved the way for the creation of educated unemployment

among the youths who became parasites on the society. The Gurukula' , Monastery, and

Madrassa- System of education, which existed before the Britishers came, equipped the

children with practical knowledge in li fe-supporting crafts and vocations which made them

employable and independent, though at a lower self-sustaining level. The young people in

these local systems of education had thorough grounding in Agriculture, Dairying, farming,

gathering of forest products etc., which the bglish-educated youths Iacked.

Gandhiji believed that the English Education which gave priority to the development

of intellect priced mental effort or intellectual labour much higher than manual labour. As a

result, manual and skilled labour was looked down in the society whereas white-collar jobs

and other intellectual work was placed at a higher level. This intellectual/manual labour

distinction paved the way for social stratification which adversely affected manual labourers,

skilled workers, and agricultural workers. Traditionally people belonging to the

producer-class were given a higher status in lndia than the other classes. But the British

education helped in impoverishing and lowering the status of the rnanuaWskilled labourers in

the society and raising the income and status of intellectual workers to inordinate levels

resulting in severe social stratification. Hence, English Education further helped in

disuniting the society. It is common knowledge that Britain subjugated India, not because of

their might, but because of the disunity among Indians.

The visionary in the Mahama is amply demonstrated through his objections to

English education of Macaulay. At that point in time nobody knew anything about

Macaulay's real intentions of spreadig English education in hdia and the nexus between

Macaulay, Max Muller, the British rule in India and the -wan invasion theory of Max

Muller. Even SwZimi VivEkanaida mistook Max Muller as a great Sanskrit scholar and

revered him as a sage. Swai VivGkananda thought that Max Muller is doing a great service

to India through his translation of Sanskrit texts. But the joint intention of Macaulay, Max

MuIler, and the British government was to legitimize British rule in India through their

European superiority theory. But then M e h a saw through their ploy and resisted against

English education saying that it is oniy good for making Indians foreigner in their o m

country.

Taking into account all the above-mentioned defects of English System of education,

Gandhiji drew out an educational programme, which he hoped would solve India's problem

of educated unemployment and social inequalities. He called this system of education Basic

education or Nai Tilim. Basic education is the result of Gandhiji's experiments and

experience spread over a long time and in different geographical areas. Now let us take a

closer look at Gandhiji's Basic Education, which he said is his best contribution to India.

4.5.2 Basic Education and Its Salient Features.

Keeping in view the defects of the existing system of education in India under the

British, Gandhiji evolved a new system of education which could cater for the needs of an

emerging nation. He said that literacy should never be the end of education, but it should

merely be a tool in the learning pracess to produce whole men and women. A whole man or

woman is considered one, who has harmonious development of all four aspects of the human

persondity- body, heut,mind and spirit. Any scheme of education which developed only

one, or excludes any one, of these aspects is lopsided education. This was one of the defects

he observed in English education as it promoted development of intellect only. Here no

effort was made to adjust the child intelligently and actively to his environment.

Gandhiji's system of education is called 'Basic Education' because it dealt with all

aspects which are basically needed for future life. Gandhiji felt that Basic Education would

provide a strong foundation on which a prosperous, hmonious and joyful life could be

built. In Basic Education, Gandhiji envisaged the proper correlation of various components

of education like theory, method and goals etc. to everyday life; and he wanted education to

be grounded on a strong foundation of Gandhian values like Truth and non-violence so as to

contribute towards character formation and ultimate self-realization. Salient features of

Basic Education are given below:

4.5.2.1 Free and Compulsory Education for Seven Years

Mahitma Gandhiji wanted children aged seven to fourteen to be wmpuisorily in

school; and believed that by the age of 14, i.e. after seven year of learning, they would have

education equivalent to matriculation, minus Englia plus a vocation or craft. Gandhiji was

of the opinion that children spend a lot of energy in unnecessarily filling up English which

would come to no use in their future; and if this English learning aspect is taken off from

schooling , within seven years they could learn all things n d e d for leading a normal life

including a bread-earning craft. This belief was based on his conviction that children get

nothing more in the high school than a half-baked knowledge of English besides a

superficial knowledge of mathematics, history and geography. If English along with other

unnecessary literary aspects are cut off the curriculum, Indian students would be able to

complete matriculation level of learning within seven years instead of ten or eleven years.

He believed that India as a p r country cannot afford any wasteful activity at the tax-payers

expense and whatever they do with public money should be aimed at alleviating the abject

poverty of the masses. So Gandhiji's Basic Education or primary education as it is called, is

not primary schooling alone, but in fact up to metric level knowledge being taken in within

seven years, minus English, plus a craft.

Many-a-times Gandhiji had been unfairly accused of being against higher education,

but this is not the fact. He was only against the tax payers money being used for higher

education which inordinately benefited the individual and not the society. About higher

education he had given his opinion in Harijan dated 9-7-'38, the gist of which is as follows:

(i) 1 am not opposed to education even to the highest type attainable in the world.

(ii) The State must pay for it wherever i h efinite use for it. 14 (iii) I am not opposed to a1 I higher education being paid from the general revenue.

(iv) It is my firm conviction that the vast amount of the so called education in arts, given in our colleges, is sheer waste and has resulted in unemployment among the educated classl3.

Further he writes in the 'Harijan' of 3 1-7-37:

"I would revolutionize college education and relate it to national necessities. There would be degree for mechanical and other engineering. They would be attached to the different industries which should pay for the training of the graduates they need. Thus the Tatas would be expected to run a college for training engineers under the supervision of the state, the mill association would run among them a college for training graduates whom they need" 14.

Thus we can see that Gandhiji was not against higher education, but only against its

being financed by Tax-payers money. He wanted the state to accept also the responsibility

for providing pre-school education as and when their finances permitted.

4.5.2.2 Education to Centre Round Some CraftNocation

Gandhiji was of the opinion that teaching of all subjects should be centered round a

locally applicable craft or vocation. He believed that the highest development of all faculties

of human beings is possible when children are taught through a craR. The physical aspect of

manual work compliments and supports the development of aH inborn abilities in children.

Through craft-based activities every school could be made, at least to some extent,

self-supporting. Gandhij i says that craft should not just be one subject among other subjects,

but all subjects taught in the school should centre round that craft which has Iwl

applicability. For example, Gandhiji believed that 'Fowl-keeping' can k taught as 3 abject

in agricultural areas of the country. The child would learn about this subject in detai1,ming

with taking care of day-old chicks till the production time. All sciences, mathematics,

history, geography etc. would be taught in connection with this vocation so that the child

becomes an expert in this vocation at the end of his learning. He will learn the biology of

feeding the animal, digestion of the f d s , different metabolic processes involved in egg

production, meat production, chemistry of processing the food, compounding of feeds, decay

of feeds and other products of the industry ek. ; similarly mathematics of the expenses,

profit etc. could k taught tdthe child. In future if he has the interest to pursue higher studies,

he could do that also in relation to his a m of interest. Hence Gandhiji believed that we

wuld produce Scientists, engineers;anagers ctc, who would be experts in their chosen field;

the only thing is that, all would start from a craft and centre round that craft, thereby

enriching the applicability and progress of that craft. Gandhiji belived that production

of such people is essential for the progress of the nation. About Basic education Gandhiji

writes in Harijan of 3 1-07 -37:

"I would therefore begin the child's education by teaching it a useful handicraft and enabling it to produce from the moment it begins its training. 1 hold that the highest development of the mind and soul is possible under such a system of education. Only every handicraft has to be taught not merely mechanically as is done today but scientifically, i.e. the child should h o w the why and wherefore of every process'1 5.

Gandhiji never believed that the vocational bias will make education dull or cramp

the child's mind. Children are sure to be brigh,t and joyful if they receive v c ~ a t h l

inssuction under competent teachers. Their intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual

development would be harmonious when they actively involve in the different aspects of

their vocation. So, for example, their joy at observing the chicks hatching out of the eggs, the

pecking and chirping actions of the chicks, the care given to sick birds, the agony shared

among fiends when a chick dies- all these experiences pave way for the development of a

whole personality and not a fractured asymmetrical personality as would result from

lop-sided literary learning. Gandhiji wanted stress to be given to the principle of

co-operative activity; planning accuracy, initiative and individual responsibility in the

learning process. He wanted the craft or vocation to be learnt systematically and

scientifically to serve as a means for intellectual work and aconornic self-sufficiency. The

blame for the failure of such a well thought out and planned system of education could only

be placed on those who were involved in planning and implementation of basic education,

but not on the originator.

4.5.2,3 Self-Supporting Aspect of Education.

Gandhiji realized that if education were to depend completely on Government funds,

all our population could not achieve primary education. Moreover the money for education

at that time came kom excise duty. Gandhiji, who prized both ends and means, did not

f m r the use of money derived from drinks to fmance education of the country. Therefore

he was greatly in favour of introducing self-supporting system of ducation. Crores of

children cannot wait until the government found the necessary finances. It was his klief that

handicraft, besides developing the pmunality of the child could make education

self-supporting and also instil in chiidren dignity of labour. The manual labour involved in

craft or voc&ioml education would help in narrowing the gap between intellectual work and

manual work, thereby helping in bringing about unity among people.

Manual labour or craft work during the education of the child in India is not a new

concept because this was practised during the Gurukula system. Here the children used to do

all the manual work which need to be done in the guru's &ram with total obedience and

dedication. Even children of royal families were u& to doing service to the guru in ali

aspects of his -&ram life. Today children help their parents in farming and other jobs, and

this instils in them a feeling that they belong to the family, to parents, to the village and to

the country in large. This fkeling of belonging is very essential for creating patriotic ferver in

children. Above al1,Gandhiji believed that:

"Without the use of hands and feet, the brain would be atrophied, and even if it worked, it would be the home of satan"16.

When Gandhiji said that children should be self-supporting in their primary

education he did not meanhat during the first year of a seven-year old child's education, he

should be made to labur for his education, but meant that the school should be

self-supporting; and the child should gradually be introduced into the crafVvocation starting

from the first year and by the end of seven y e m should be more than self-supporting at the

age of fourteen. So the school as a whole should be =if-supporting. According to the

Mahatma, this is the ideal education because the wlossrll illiteracy cannot solely be solved

by using government funds only. Gandhiji believed that self-supporting education only can

sumive in India. In this self-supporting system he wanted the State to provide the expenses

for x h w l buildings, books and dl apparatuses and tools required for craft-work. The

working capital should be generated by the student's activities.

Gandhiji wanted to make Basic education useful in the life of the child by relating it

with the daily life. It aimed at all-round development of child's personality so that he could

become a useful member of the society at large. In short, it was instruction in three H's -

Hand, Heart and Head.

By advocating self-supporting aspect, he did not want it be-all and end-all of

instruction, thereby sacrificing the educative and cultural objectives of education. He

believed that if education is imparted through right kind of dedicated teachers, learning

through craft could be made lively and the children could be made not to feel that they are

learning, but enjoying the activities of living.

Basic education or Nai TBlim is founded not only on the principle of knowledge

through work but also on the great principle of bodily labour for one's livelihood. We can

live rightly only when we earn our livelihood by bodily labour, and Gandhiji belived that, it

is not an ideal arrangement that W i l y food be earned by intellectual work. It i s certainly a

possible arrangement, but nevertheless it is not the ideal way. The body ought to be fed by

the work of the body, and this is the meaning of the phrase 'bread labur'. In Blqpvad ~<ta

it is called a yajfIa, a sacrifice; and in the Bible it is referred to as "earning one's bread by the

sweat of one's brow'.

4.5.2.4. Emphasis w Mother-Tongwe

Gandhiji emphasized the importance of mother-tongue, both as a subject of study

and also as medium of instruction. He says that the greatest impediment in the filed of

education is that learning is being imparted t h g h the medium of English. Th is hindered

the development of understanding and precision of thought and clarity of ideas.

Mother-tongue, he blieved, would enable the children not only to understand clem1y the

rich heritage of people's ideas, emotions and aspirations but would aim enable the children

to express themselves effectively, clearly and lucidly. They would, thereby appreciate and

enjoy literature, which helps to a great extent in the transmission of culture.

Gandhiji decried the use of foreign language in education as it:

"caused brain fag, put an undue strain upon the nerves of our children, made them crammers and imitators, unfitted them for filtrating their learning to the farniIy or the masses. The foreign medium has made our children practically foreigners in their own landt*17.

Gandhiji says that one of the evils of foreign rule was the imposition of foreign language

upon the youth of the country.

He says:

"It has sapped the energy of the nation, it has shortened the lives of the pupils, it has estranged them from the masses, it has made education unnecessarily expensive. If this process is still persisted in, it bids fair to rob the nation of its soul"l8.

Gandhiji says that a student who passes matriculation by the age of sixteen years

through the medium of English has wasted a large part(nearly six years) of his time in trying

to master the language itself. One could have matriculated in one year itself if it was given in

mother-tongue. So Gandhiji says that if he was given dictatorid powers, he would abolish

English and ask the teachers, under the threat of dismisd, to teach in vernacular. He WAer

recommended:

"the medium of instruction should be altered at once at any cost. the provincial languages being given their rightful place. t. would prefer temporary chaos in higher education to the criminal waste that is daily accumulating" 19.

Gandhiji was so fond of this idea of mother-tongue being used as the medium of instruction,

the extent of which can only be realized from what he says:

"I must cling to my mother-tongue as to my mother's breast, inspite of its shortcomings. It alone a~ give me the life-giving milkdo.

The importance of mother-tongue was stressed by many others also. The Italian

revolutionary, Antonio Gramsci was against his children getting educated in Italian language

instead of his mother-tongue - Sardinian language. He wrote to his wife to this effect h r n

prison (Quaderni) and argued that educating in a language other than the mother-tongue

cannot enable the hll blossoming of the child's mind and thoughts.

Ludwig Wittgenstein, the philosopher of language, gives the theory of 'stage

settings', or background of a language. Any language has the stage settings typical to that

language, which is essentially cultural, social etc. A person who does not own this typical

stage settings can not by definition understand presentations through that language.

The celebrated Bengali writer, Shashti B r a indeed laments upon himseif getting

educated in England that had destroyed his natural self. Shashti says that he had become

good for nothing as he cannot use English language in its proper sense since he being an

Indian; and at the same time he also cannot use his mother-tongue Bengali sin= he was

transplanted to England.

At1 these are clear instances of how right the M*5tma was, and how great a

visionary the w ' r t m a was. How unfortunate is that our other leadership wuld not live up to

the expectations of the father of the nation, and did not implement much of his ideas.

4.5.3 The Fate of Basic Education :

Gandhiji's system of education, though formulated after long and extensive practical

experimentation in two continents and nearly over forty years of critical study, failed to lift

off when it was tried in many parts of India. The All India National Conference held at

Wardha on 22nd October 1937, which was attended by the State Education Ministers from

all states, along with eminent scholars from all over India took part in frankly discussing all

the points regarding the new education system. Gandhiji was present at the occasion and at

one time he stressed that in discussing about the education system he proposed, the needs of

the villages of India should be taken into consideration. By giving one craft or vocation to

the boys in the villages irrespective of the caste to which he belonged, Gandhiji wanted the

hture generations in India to break off from the caste mout d in which they found themselves

in. So this was a bold move on the part of the father of the nation to abolish one of the

causes of inequality in India. Basic education would be common to all, Hindus, Christians,

Sikhs, Muslims, Parsees, and to all van@ and castes in hdia. His idea was to take charge of

every child in lndia at the age of seven and return himher to the parents at around the age of

fourteen as an earning member of the family. Dr.Zakir Hussain, though did not completely

support Gandhiji's views on Basic education, agreed that it could be ideal for a

non-exploitative non-violent rural civilization.

Prof. K.T.Shah criticised Gandhiji's views on education a d stressed that the

self-supporting aspect of Basic education is an Utopia just like Plato's scheme of education

in 'The Republic'. He pointed out that the expenses incurred in teaching a craft would be

much higher than what wuld be obtained by selling imperfect products of children.

Gandhiji, on this occasion emphasized the fact that the state should shoulder the expenses

incurred in Basic education as it is equivalent to seven years of primary education which is a

state responsibility. Dr. Syed Mohammed expressed his idea that Gandhiji's scheme of

education is very original and fit for Indian culture and civilization. Shrirnati Ashadevi of

Wardha stressed the point that in order to create a new social order in lndia, a new type of

education is required a d Gandhiji's Basic education could be such one. B.G. Kher, Premier

of Bombay Presidency called Gandhij i's scheme epoch-making because it introduced

non-violence in the field of education. Dr. Subbaroyan, Minister of Education, Madras,

remarked that education based on craft could be made adaptable and relatable to different

localities. Mahadev Desai related the self-supporting aspect of education with the ideologicd

background of non-violence and stressed that the new scheme would be helphl in founding

up a society; without class and communal hatred because of its non-exploitative nature. Dr.

Viswanath Das, Minister of Education in Orissa said that the education in a country is not

worth its name if it is not national and usefiband thanked Gandhiji for presenting a system

of education which could be truly national.

After a thorough discussion of Basic education scheme, a resolution was adapted on

23rd October 1937 and constituted a committee for overseeing the implementation of the

scheme. Dr. Zakir Hussain, was the chairman of the Committee and within a month the

committee came with the following recommendation that education in the country should be

imparted through some craft. Tbis is the desirable method because it relieves the child from

the tyranny of a purely academic and theoretical instruction and it balances the intellectual

and practical elements of experience. The committee stressed that the craR chosen should be

rich in educative possibilities and stress should be laid on co-operative activity, planning,

accuracy, initiative and individual responsibility in learning. The ideal of good citizenship is

inherent in the new educational system because it is unlikely to produce social parasites.

The New Education, upon implementation, found a rough ride following certain

hitches it encountered, and they were:

(1) The scheme was criticized by many at different levels accusing it being against

industrialization and only aimed at taking the society to a primitive state as it did not meet

the requirements of modern times.

(2) The products of children were mere heaps of rubbish material which was not in

demand, and therefore accumulated in Basic Schools.

(3) Lack of Teachers who could absorb the spirit or Basic education. As it involved lot

of hard work many shied away from it and startad going back to academic exercises.

(4) The stress on manual work was so great that the theoretical aspect suffered. Usually

in professional and technical colleges students proceed from theory to practice.

( 5 ) There is general belief, supported by education psychology, that children should have

a general level of knowledge, unto at least seven years, before being able to absorb technical

aspects of any craft. Otherwise it would simply be playful activity and not learning.

After independence, the Government of India, implemented Basic Education as a

national programme, but because of many misconceptions, the scheme did not achieve its

expected results.

It is not unusual for any theory or programme to have drawbacks or short-comings.

Indeed, a perfect theory, plan or programme is only a myth in ra l i ty . hfellectually there

ought to be a team constantly engaged in rectifying the drawbacks of a theory or programme

during its implementation from time-to-time. Perhaps one of the best examples for this may

be that of V.I. Lenin, who for the first time had gone ahead implementing the theories of

Marx. Later this was followed by the Chinese, Mao. They both seemed to have accepted the

theory of Marx as a plausible one, and had worked towards putting it into practice.

My question here is, could any Indian do something similar in case of the

Ma@ma's ideas of education ? This question becomes more emphatic when we learn that

world renouned educationist Prof. John Dewey expressed his feeling towards Gandhiji's

scheme of education as being far ahead of all other programmes of education, the world

over. Paulo Freires 'Education of the oppressed' in Latin America comes closer to Gandhiji's

scheme of education, sans its spiritual content. The Mahatma expressed many fiagrnents of

thoughts; we ought to have created a system out of them, a theory out of them and put them

into practice; correcting and rectifying it from time-to-time to make it functional. In a word

let me accuse: we lacked the initiative, courage and prescience.

4.5.4 A Education in the Home:

Gandhiji placed p a t importance to the home and its environment in the education

of children. He says;

"Young children should not be separated from their parents. The education that children naturally imbibe in a well-ordersd household is impossible to obtain in h o ~ t e l s " ~ -

Gandhiji further adds:

"Under ideal conditions, true education could be imparted only by the

parents, and that there should be minimum of outside helpM22.

In Tolstoy Farm in South Africa, and in Sevagmm and Sabannati k6hrams in India,

Gandhiji established schools where the children grew up in the company of their parents.

Gandhiji was as a father to every one of the children, and he, along with a few others,

imparted lessons to children centered around a m R or vocation. Gandhiji says that there was

scarcely any illness in these places as the children were able to get good air and water and

also regular doses of food. In these schmls he prescribed syllabus which included

elementary principles of sanitation, hygiene, nutrition, of doing their own work and helping

parents at home. Emphasis was given on c h m development rather than on literacy.

From home, children derived security and love and they got ample leisure time and

recreation in the form of celebrations of different festivals and fairs. In the company of large

numkr of members in the family including grand-parents, uncles, aunts and cousins, they

picked up behavioral paaerns in the society. Boys helped their parents on the farm and girls

helped their mothers in the kitchen and in doing other domestic works. In this way they were

introduced to useful activities in life. During all these processes children were not made to

feel that they were learning anything,but in fact they got natural learning through life. This

type of education is what many called 'education through life'. In a way this part-time

learning prepared the children for future life and to a great extent vocational training was not

a problem for these children.

The parents are in reality, the first teachers. Indeed the mother provides the first

learning experiences for the child. The first three years of the child's life is spent in the

learning environment that the home provides. Early experiences of a child form the

foundation on which the concepts of the world as perceived are constructed. Many studies

have shown that it is these early experiences and the quality of the activities that have been

made available to the child in these early years, which significantiy contributed to the

shaping of the child's personality and its capacity to learn with meaning. It is at home that the

foundation of a caring family and community is being laid. To care, to love and be

empathetic are qualities one gets from home. Parental time spent in play with children and

their answers to children's questions can stimulate creative thinking in chiidren. So home is

the first school of the children.

Gmdhiji believed that all the varied types of experiences the child gets from home

will influence the development of character of the child. The importance of Early childhood

education is shown in Gandhiji's following comments:

"We labour under a sort of superstition that the child has nothing to Iearn during the first five years of its life. On the contrary the fact is that the child never learns in after life what it does in its first few years. The education of the child begins with

The significance of parentage and home in education i s indeed 'the great'

contribution of India to the world. The very foundation of lndian society, culture and the

very notion of Indianness..rests here. It is only from an integrated home that an integrated

individual is groomed and shaped out of a child. This gives rise to an integrated society and

thus an integrated nation. Unfortunately, the Western society in general is unable to

comprehend this, and, I should say that this one thing is the root of all social problems of the

West. They give more stress on the independence of an individual at the cost of

interdependence that paves way to a coexistence. When the individuals are isolated in

watertight compartments, how can families exist ? How can children get groomed into

interned citizens of an integrated society of tomorrow? This indeed is the Western problem

and it is slowly invading our society as well. The Ma.l@atma had rightly understood this in

unconditional terms and tried to give us the knowledge of its importance and significance.

To what extent we could take his lessons remains an open question.

4.5.5 Women's Education:

Women played a central role in ancient India, and was always respected. Indeed,

woman was not seen any different from man; man and woman are seen as complimentary to

one another. One cannot be separated fiom the other and at the same time one cannot replace

the other. They are distinct with independent functions that makes a whole as totality. By

definition they are equal; through playing their distinct role or part in life, society and nature.

The concept of '~rthanarsara' may be actually designed to exemplify this principle.

Though this was the situation, the social decadence that took place in Indian society

drastically inverted many things. One of the reasons that sent lndian women behind the

purdah and created practices like Sati and Johar could be the Mughal invasions and Mughal

rule which made our hdian women insecure, but the general social decadence is more to be

blamed.

Strangely, Manusrnci started getting quoted against women, but a sincere reading of

ManusrnGi only proves the opposite. Mmu was indeed for protection of women and never

for their enslavement. It is a matter of simple logic that Manu naturally supports women,

given the ancient way of our seeing women. Unfortunately Mmusmfli is misinterpreted and

misquoted by the decadent lot.

But in modern India, women really needed emancipation in many aspects. The model

lndian attitude to women had suffered much changes due to many reasons. During the 19th

century many social reformers, especially the B+a SarnZj founders fought for women's

rights for equality. But M e t m a Gandhi was foremost among the social reformers who

espoused the women's cause. And. as in everything he preached, he began the reform in his

own home. The moment he realized that he was a 'slave holder: as he has called himself, his

attitude to his wife changed, and with that change began his work for the emancipation of

women as a whole. He has spoken fearlessly against enforcd widowhood, purdah, child

marriage. dedication of girls to temples, prostitution, dowry system, the economic bondage

and marital slavery of women. He declared that 'man and woman are equal in status' and

women should not labour or live under no legal disability not suffered by man. With

reference to education he said:

"As for women's education,l am not sure whether it should be different from men's ... But I am strongly of the opinion that women should have the same facilities as men and even special facilities where n e ~ e s s a r ~ 2 ~ .

Gandhiji says that men had been unfair to women throughout the history in

considering her as an object of pleasure, instead of regarding her as his helpmate and 'better

half. He exhorts men to undo the great wrong done to her and to regard her as mother of the

race. S w h i Vive&&da also exhorted Indians to treat women fairly, and warned:

" That country and that nation which do not respect women have never become great; nor will ever be in future. The principal reason why your race is so much degraded is that you had no respect for these living images of Shakti. I f you do not raise the women who are the living embodiments of the Divine Mother, don't think that you have any other way to rise"25.

Eventhough Gandhiji attributes equality of women with men, he was of he opinion

that women's education should be in conformity with her role as a mother in the society. But

he did not object women in pursuing any field of study if she has a genuine interest for it. He

says:

"Man i s supreme in the outward activities of a married pair and therefore it is in the fitness of things that he should have a greater knowledge thereof. On the other hand, home life is entirely the sphere of women and therefore in domestic affairs, in the upbringing and education of children, women ought to have more knowledge"26.

In his fight for Justice, liberty and human dignity it might be worth remembering that

Gandhiji brought women to the forefront. He says that the saying of Manu which prohibits

freedom of women is not sacrosanct to him. He has paid the best tribute to women by

saying:

"Women is the embodiment of sacrifice and sufferingW27.

4 S.6 .A good Teacher.

To define 'a good teacher' would be as difficult as to define education, but an attempt

could be made to explain who a good teacher is. A quotation fiom Annie Besant would give

a fair picture about whadwho is a good teacher:

"The educationist has to find out the best ways of co-operating with the inner self of the child, of enabling the faculties already there to manifest themselves and to grow, to strengthen all that is good and to starve out all that is bad, to work on the plastic material of the new brain from without, while the soul of the child works at it from within. This is the high o@ce of the Teacher, his great responsibilityQg.

As can be seen from this quotation, a teacher of this nature should have a number of

qualities in himher; and they are succintly expressed by Prof. V. Sukhonlinsky in his book

First of all it means some one who loves children, who finds joy in contact with

them and who believes that every child can become a worthy man or woman, some one who

is able to make friends with children, who takes children's joys and sorrows to heart,

understands the workings of their minds and never forgets that he himself was once a child

too.

Secondly, a good teacher is someone who has a good grasp of the Science of which

the subject he teaches is a part, is really in love with that subject, and keeps upto date with

its development - new discoveries, research and achievements. A good teacher knows far

more than what he needs to teach the children. Profound knowledge, a wide perspective and

interests in current problems of his field are all essential for a teacher in order that he might

present as attractive to his pupils the knowledge as such,his subje.ct in particular, Science

and the processes of study.

Thirdly, a gmd teacher must be well-versed in psychology and science of education; he must

understand that it is impossible without grounding in the science of education to work with

children.

Fourthly, a good teacher must be completely at home in some type of handicraft or

manual work.

A good teacher is preparing for good lessons for as long as he lives ... such is

the intellectual and philosophical foundation of his profession and the techniques of his

work; in order to give pupils a spark of knowledge the teacher must imbibe a whole sea of

light.

A good teacher - to be honest - does not know how a lesson with all its details and

off shoots will develop: this is not because he is working in the dark, but because he knows

quite well what a good lesson involves.

When a teachers' range of knowledge i s infinitely wider than the school curriculum,

when his grasp of the syllabus materid is not of central interest to him but a side-issue of his

mental activity, so to speak, then and only then is he a true master of his profession, an artist,

a poet of the classroom- a master of the tersching profession knows the elementary steps of

his science so well that at lesson-time, while that elementary material is being studied, his

attention i s concentrated not on the content of what is being studied, but on the pupils, their

mental activity, their thought processes and the difficulties they encounter in their mental

activity. A good teacher would be extremely patient with children and treat them with love,

whether they are progressing nicely with their studies or not, and will never gel angry when

they misbehave in class.

How a teacher ought to be; who a teacher could be; how is the teacher related to the

student and what exactly shall be the process of teaching and learning is best exemplified

through the 'Invocation of Peace' from 'Saanthi Paatha Kathopanishad' before the process of

teaching - learning starts. T k prayer goes like this:

"Let the Supreme Being guard both of us, nourish us both even (the teacher and the taught), let us work and achieve together, let our study be purposeful a d enlightened, let us not ever disiike or 'hate' each other, let there be

sustained harmony between us always. Om Peace, peach, peace"30.

Here the teacher is praying to the ultimate Reality to make him capable of imparting

knowledge, to give him strength to c m y out his mission; while the student prays for his

ability to receive knowledge properly and to put it to the welfare of the whole world. They

both pray that the knowledge may never be misused. At the practical level of application, it

must only promote peace, for they both nre aware of the power of knowledge. In addition,

the peace Invocation 'calls for the continuous , undisturbed harmonious rapport between the

learner and the teacher'.

The teacher - student relationship should be one of affection, respect and discipline,

with the teacher imparting of highquality education. And the pupil receiving it dedicatedl y.

The 'peace hvocation' stresses: 'let there be no hostility between us' - 'MZ Vidvi@v4ai',

'Let us energise each other (teacher and shtdent) purposefully - 'sa ha vTryari? karav'ivabail,

'May we both become illurninad by this sharing of knowledge' - '~Gjasvina avadTtamastul.

Without any doubt, there cannot be a more dynamic, noble and realistic expression,

sentiment, to highlight the relationship between the teacher and the pupil.

About the process of education, ancient Indian Wisdom had very definite ideas. It i s

like lighting several lamps from a source lamp, who is the teacher. Through education, one

moves from 'Asat' to 'sat', from 'Tamas' to 'Jyofis' and from 'Mritva' to 'Arnartva'.

The M&%tma's conception of a model teacher is very consistent with the Indian

model. He says that a teacher should be an object of lesson to the students and a practitioner

of what he teaches:

''A cowardly teacher would never succeed in making the boys valiant, and a stranger to self-restraint could never teach his pupils the value of self-restFaint. I saw, therefore, that I must be an eternal object-lesson to the

boys and girls living with me"3 -

Gandhiji says that the teacher is the true text-book of children:

"I remember very little that my teachers taught me from books, but 1 have even now a clear recollection of the things they taught me independently of books"32.

From his extensive relationship with students for over forty years in his and also

from different parts of the world he realized:

"If I was to be their real teacher and gumdim, I must touch their hearts, 1 must share their joys and sorrows, I must help them to solve the problems that fixed them, and 1 must take along the right channel the surging aspirations of their youth "33.

Realizing the great role teacher plays in the education of children, the Education

Commission reviewing the status of teacher education programmes has pointed out that:

"Of ail the different factors that influence the quality of education and its contribution to national development, the quality, competence and character of teachers are undoubtedly the most significant"34.

So the need of the hour for national development is the preperation of quality teachers in our

teacher training institutions,

Religion and education are intimately related because both are involved in

enlargement of our horizons; the former spiritually and the latter both spiritually and

materially. However, there is great controversy regarding the teaching of religious education

in our institutions because of the secular nature of our constitution. The constitution of India

wys that all persons have equd freedom to profess, practise and propagate their religion,

provided no one hurts the feelings of another, nor propagate his faith by dubious means. The

constitution also lays down that religious instruction shall not be given in schools maintained

solely at government expense. When ask4 why Gandhiji did not include religion in the

Wardtla Scheme of Education, he replied:

"We left out the teaching of religion fcom the scheme because we are afi-aid that religion, as they are taught and practised today, l e d to conflict rather than uni ty... I regard it fatal to the different faiths if they are taught either that their religion is superior to other or that it is the true re1igion"35-

In spite of the above, Gandjhji still advocated the need for spiritual education:

"Just as physical training was to be imparted through physical exercise, and inteHectual through intellectual exercise, even so the training of the spirit was possible only through the exercise of the spirit. And the exercise of the

spirit entirely depended on the life and character of the teacher"36.

Gandhiji warned the nation that:

"If India is not to declare spiritual badmptcy, religious instruction of i ts

youth must be held to be atleast as n e s s a r y as secular education"37.

Then the question arises as to how religious education could be imparted without

offending any religious group. Gandhiji answered thus:

"Fundamental principles of ethics are common to all religions. These should certainly be taught to the children and that should be regarded as adequate religious instruction as far as schools under Wardha Scheme are

concerned"38.

Ganhiji's opinion about the need for religious instruction is echoed by Sw-mi ~ive?r&&

in his following warning:

"Each nation, like each individual, has one theme in life, which is at its centre. If m y nation attempts to throw o f f i ts national vitality, that nation dies. In India, religious life foms the centre"39.

Therefore, without doubt, to keep the flame of spirituality alighted, we have to

introduce religious education in our schoots and colleges.

A b u t the need for religious education, James S. Ross, a noted educationist has this

to say:

"It is through religion that the youth can be set on the road to the pursuit of three absolute values i.e. truth, beauty and gdness"40

The University Education Commission, 1948, was very emphatic in its

recommendation on this vital issue. It made the following recornrnendatims:

(i) all educational institutions start work with a few minutes for silent mediation.

(ii) In the first year of the degree course, lives of the great religious leaders like Gautama the Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Socrstes, Jesus, iaikara, R b i u j a , Mahava., Mohammad, Kabir, Nan&, Garidhi& taught.

(iii) In the second year some selections of a universalist character from the scriptures of the world be studied.

(iv) In the third year, the central problem of the philosophy of religion be taught.

The Education Commission 1964-'66 has this recommendation about religious education:

"A serious defect in the School curriculum is the absence of provision for education in moral and spiritual vaiues. In the life of the majority of Indians, religion is a great motivating farce and is intimately bound up with the formation of character and the inculcation of ethical values, A national system of education that is related to the life, needs and aspirations of the people cannot &brd to ignore this purposeful fork. We recommend, therefore, that conscious and organized attempts be made for imparting education in social, moral and spiritual values with the help, wherever possible, of the ethical teachings of great religionsdI -

Realizing the fast deterioration of moral and spiritual values in India, the former

Minister for Human Resource Development, Dr. Murali Manohar Joshi, called on National

Council for Education Research and Training to introduce lessons m Moral Education as

early as possible, starting from standard one to the university level, and to prepare relevant

text-books for these subjects. To inculcate religious values and morals in schools and

colleges now would mean that we are preparing the hture generation to be in tune with

India's spiritual tradition, and paying due respect to the advise given by intellectual and

spiritual giants of the past. indeed a nation like lndia cannot shy away from teaching religion

and training the future generations spiritually to save a 'soulless' condition tomorrow .

4.5.8 Gandbiji's Advise to Students.

MGatma Gandhi had high regard for students, and from time to time, whenever they

had doubts regarding any issues, used to refer to Gandhiji for his advice. AII these advices

given to students were collect4 and published in a book collated 'To Students' by Bharatan

Kumarappa 42 . Some of the advises are given below with the page number:

(1) A proper religious spirit is the greatest and most immediate need. We.5

(2) The first step to a true education is a pure heart. page.6

(3) More book reading will be of little help to you after life. page.6

(4) The greatest men of the world have always stood alone. But they had living faith in themselves and their God; and believing as they did that God was on their side, they never felt bnely. page.7

( 5 ) My own experience has led me to the knowledge that fu1Iest life is impossible without an immovable belief in a Living Law in obedience to which the whole universe moves. page.9

6 For me morals, ethics, and religion are convertible terms. A moral life without reference to religion is like a house built upon sand. And religion divorced from morality is like 'sounding brass' good only for making a noise and breaking heads. ~ w . 9

(7) Modern education tends to turn our eyes away from spirit. The possibilities of the spirit force or soul force, therefore do not appeal to us, and our eyes are consequently rivetted on the evanescent, transitory, material force. page. 1 1

(8) Any tradition however ancient if inconsistent with morality, is fit to be banished h m the l a d . e.g. Untouchability, child-widowhood, child marriage, sati etc. page. 15 & 16

(9) The Gita contains the gospel of work, the gospel of Bhakti or Devotion and the gospel of JK.a or Knowledge. Life should be harmonious whole of these three.

me. 1 6

(10) I have found that boys imbibe more from the teacher's own lives than they do fiom the books that they read to them. ~w.17

(1 1) A curriculum of religious instruction should include a study of the tenets of faiths other than one's own. For this purpose the students should be trained to cultivate the habit of understanding and appreciating the doctrine of various great religions of the world in a spirit of reverence and broad-minded tolerance. page. 1 8

(1 2) The Hindu system of philosophy regards all religions as containing the elements of truth in them and enjoins an attitude of respect and reverence towards them all.

p. 18 ( 1 3) 1 have come to the conclusion, in my own experience,

that those who, no matter to what faith they belong, reverently study the teachings of other hiths, broaden, instead of narrowing their own hearts. page. 1 9

(14) If we are to be non-violent we must then not wish for anything on this earth which the meanest or the lowest of human king cannot have. page.23

( 1 5 ) There are two types of human being - Rationalists and believers. Rationalist says:"Let me be convinced and I shall believe". The other says:"Believe and conviction will come". page.29

( 16) Just as matter misplad becomes dirt, reason misused becomes lunacy. page.32

To give up religious instruction is like letting a field lie fallow and grow weeds for want of the tillers knowledge of the proper use of the field. page.33

I be1 ieve that prayer is the very soul and essence of religion, and therefore prayer must be the very core of man. page.34

It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart. page.35

There is an eternal struggle raging in men's breast between the powers of darkness and of light, and he who has not the sheet anchor of prayer to rely upon, will be a victim to the powers of darkness. page. 36

(21) The end of all knowledge must be building up of character . page.39

(22) A boy who does not observe personal purity of mind and body and action is a boy who should be driven out of any school. page.39

(23) Every religion enjoins a student to build a life on a sure foundation of stoic simplicity and self- restraint. page.42

(24) All the great religions of the world are absolutely one on this thing that no man or woman with an impure heart can possibly appear before the Great White Throne. page.43

To have no control over the senses is like sailing in a rudderless ship bound to break to pieces on coming into contact with the very first rock. page.45

A school or a college is a sanctuary where there should be nothing that is base or unholy, Schools and colleges are factories for the making of character.

page.5 1

It is my conviction that our schools and colleges, instead of making us rnanly,make us obsequious, timid, IrPdecisive and ballastless. page.60

(28) Professors and teachers, if they are to be popular with their pupils, have to identify themselves with their activities and aspirations so Iong as they are not unhealthy or immoral. page. 67.

Our shastras lay down unequivocally thafa proper observance of truth, chastity, scrupulous regard forall life,as abstention from coveting others' possessions and refusal to hoard anything but what is necessary for our daily wants is indispensable for a right life; that without it a knowledge of the divine element is an impossibility

page. 7 1

No one chained a slave without chaining himself. And no nation kept another in subjection without itself turning into a subject nation. page. 75

It is gross superstition to suppose that knowledge can be obtained only by going to schools and colleges. The world produced brilliant students before schools and colleges came into being. page. 80

(32) While studying, the only occupation of students must be to increase their knowledge. page. 92

(33) 1 am certain that the children of the nation that

receive instruction in a tongue other than their own commit suicide. Zt robs them of their birth-right. A foreign medium means an undue strain upon the youngsters , it robes them of a11 originality. It stunts their growth and isolates them from their home. Page. 103

Education in three R's is as nothing compared to a sound grounding in the elements of hygiene a d sanitation

page. 1 46

(35) The modern girl dresses not to protect herself from wind, rain and sun but to attract attention. She improves upon nature by painting herself and looking extra-ordinary. I have a fear that the modern girl loves to be Juliet to have a dozen Romeos. page. 1 8 1

That education alone is of value which draws out the Faculties of a student so as to enable him or her to solve correctly the problem of life in every department. page. 1 89

I have never been an advocate to our students going abroad. My exprience tells me that such, on return, find themselves to be square pegs in round holes. That experience is the richest and contributes most to growth which springs h r n the soil. paged 1 3.

The above comments and opinions show that Gandhiji touched on every aspect of a

student's life. It will also reveal that his greatest emphasis was on Religion, Character and

Sewice. He knew the great importance of youth, and more especially of studentship and saw

the vital need to direct its perplexities, its enthusiasm rtnd energy along Iines which will

bring the greatest happiness to it and to the nation and the world.

4.6 Gandhiji - A Naturalist, An Idealist or a Pragmatist.

When one Iooks for the philosophical basis of Gandhijits views on education, one

undoubtedly comes to the conclusion that the MqZtma synthesized from all these three

philosophies his philosophy of education that has applicability under lndian conditions.

When he says that the children be taught in a free atmosphere in a natural setting without any

super-imposed restrictions, he is a true naturalist. But he does not advocate unrestrained

freedom to children as Rousseau did in that his 'freedom' is not a license for the child to

follow his natural inclinations; but restricted so as to 'discipline' and direct them through a

path of virtuousness. Gandhiji believed that children should develop 'sef fdisciplinet, and

considered that time and money spent on education would be a waste if they did not learn

discipline in school; and the discipline, he believed, should come from within, not from

outside. There should be an inner urge to the individual to obey the laws and regulations

prescribed by the group, community or society. It is in this conception of discipline that he

synthesized naturalism and idealism. He wanted the children to have sufficient freedom so

that they may grow and develop, but at the same time they must accept discipline and

training if they wanted to develop their powers to the fullest. As a naturalist he believed in

the inherent g d n e s s of children and recognized that by nature they are active. This aspect

should be made use in programming instruction for them i.e. it should be activity-centered.

Gmdhiji wanted children to avoid verbalism and to cultivate the virtue of action. In his

advise to children to discard text-books and to learn from action; and also from their natural

surroundings, : . . Gandhiji was a naturalist. Unlike the other naturalists, Gandhiji did not

belittle the role of the teacher in the education of the child, but exalted his position by saying

that children learn everything from their contact with the teacher.

In over-emphasizing the role of education in spiritual development and character

transformation, Gandhiji aligned himself with the idealists. In keeping the ultimate aim of

education as self-realization, Gandhiji, wanted the child to purify himself through education;

and through a life of service to society to achieve oneness with God. Spiritual realization, in

his view, should be the ultimate aim of education. Self-realization, according to Gandhiji,

could be achieved through seeking after Truth, practicing non-violence and continence. By

including 'spiritual development' as an aspect of his definition of education,Gandhiji sided

himself along with the idealists.

One of the prominent features of Basic education is the prominence given to creative

activity in the education of the child, which is the hallmark of the philosophy of pragmatism.

Gandhiji's Basic education ought to be implemented through craft work and not through

literary discussions or meditative reading. Gandhiji says, by nature children are active, and

this quality of children should be beneficially exploited in their learning process. By using

their physical activity for production of socially usehl products, their self-esteem can be

promoted, and they would not feel that they are mere parasites on the society. Like the great

pragmatist Dewey, Gandhiji wanted his school to be doing and thinking school instead of a

listening school.

Gandhiji wanted that all teaching to be carried out through concrete life situations

relating to industry or to social and physical environment, so that whatever the child learns

becomes assimilated into his growing activity. His was a school which was a p l m of work,

experimentation and discovery instead of being a p !ace of passive absorption of information

imparted through books. Like the curriculum of pragmatist's, Gandhiji's was an activity

curriculum, through the practice of which the child acquires knowledge and utilizes it for the

understanding and control of his social environment. This enabled the child to inculcate

social responsibility-which is the crying need of democratic India

As p a the teaching of ~Tta - an ideal life is to be a life of knowledge, devotion and

action; Gandhiji's philosophy of education is also a ~ornbination of these for realizing the

ultimate. Hence we can say that Gandhiji, absorbing the essence of all the schools of

philosophy, synthesized an educational system keeping true to Indian tradition. Dr. M.B.

Patel, a noted educationist, very aptly concludes about Gandhiji's phiiosophy of education

as:

"Naturalistic in i ts setting, idealistic in its aim, and pragmatic in its method and programme of work"43.

References

I . Gandhi M.K. 'The Problems of Education' Ahmedabad, 1949 p.5

2. Aggarval J.C. Theory and Principles of Mucagtion', Vikas publishing House, Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 1985 p.7

3. Gandhi M.K. 'Towards New Education' (ed) Bharathan Kumarappa, Navaj ivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, 19534~35.

4. Ibid, pp. 34-35.

5. Gandhi M.K 'An Autobiography', Navajivan Pubnlishing House, Ahmedabad, 2001, p.279.

6. Aggarwal J.C. 'Theory and Principles of Education' Vikas Publishing House, Pvt.Ltd., New h l h i , 1985,p. 126.

7. Ibid. p.30

8. Taneja V.R. 'Educational Thought and Practice', Sterling Publishers, Pvt.Ltd., New Delhi, 1993,p.35.

9. Gandhi M.K. 'Towards New Education', p.7-8

10. Ibid. ,p.3

1 1. Ibid,, p.4

12. Shanna K.D. 'Impact of Gandhi on Rural development and social Change', Mohit Publication, New Delhi, 1997,p. 160.

13. '~ov@ds New Education' p.86.

14. Ibid., p.85

15. Ibid., p.48

1 6. Taneja V.R.' Educational Thought and Practice', p. 1 86

17. Gandhi M.K. 'Towards New Education', p.54

18. Ibid, p.55

19. Ibid, p.59

20. tbid, p.6 1 -62

2 1. Gandhi M. K. 'An Autobiography', p. 167

22. Ibid., p.278

23.Kripalini Krishna 'Gandhi's Life in His Own Words', Navjivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad 2002, p.30.

24. Aggerwal J.C.p.242

25. Gankhi M.K. 'Women and Social Injustice' , Navajivan Publishing House, Ahmedabad, 2002, p.9

26. Gandhi M.K. 'Towards New Educationf.p.79

27, Gandhi M.K. 'Women and social In jus t i ce t ,Fod .

28.Besant Annie, The Theosopohisst, Oct. 2002,p.8

29. Sukhomlinsky V. 'On Education', Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1977,p. 175-1 80

30. R.S.,Religion, New Indian Express, 10.6.1999

3 1. Kripalini Krishna, 'Gandhi's Life in His Own Wordst,p.44

32. Gandhi M.K. 'An Autobiographyi,p.283

33. Gandhi M.K. 'Towards New Education',p.21

34. Council for Teacher Education, 'Sovenier 2000' Kerala State Centre, Trivanthapuram, June 2002, p.2 1

36. Kripalini Krishna 'Gandhi's Life in His own Words', p.44

37. Richards Glyn, 'Gandhiji's Philosophy of Education', Oxforduniversity Press 2001, p.58

38, Aggarwal J.C., p.276-277

39. Jay Mohan,'Waiting for Vivekananda', lndian Express

40. Aggarwal J.C.,p. 276

41. Ibid., p. 279

42. Gandhi M.K.'To Students' (Ed.) Bharatan Kumarappa, Navjivan Publishing House, 1 998

43. Taneja V.R.'Educational Thought and Practicet,p. 188.