Man is a rational being. His ability
to speak language and thinking is quite different from all other animals.
Naturally he has the aspiration to achieve progress and all round positive
development. It is Education that helps man to achieve a dominant position on
this planet. Pestalozzi has rightly says, ‘Education is the natural, harmonious
and progressive development of man’s innate powers’. Education includes all the
process that develops human ability and behaviour. Education is the
manifestation of divinity already existed in man. It is mentioned in the Rig
Veda that education is something ‘which makes a man self-reliant and selfless’.
Education is not just the mere acquisition of knowledge and skills but changes
of human behavior to provide him the opportunity to lead a complete healthy
social life.
It refines the child’s behavior,
knowledge, skills, character and it is responsible for all round development of
child. Education is the process by which knowledge, character and behaviour of
the young are shaped and moulded. It is therefore, assumed that education is
the acquisition of knowledge and experience, development of skills, habits and
attitudes of the learners. Education helps a person to lead a full and worthwhile
life in this world. It develops total personality to become a complete human
being. It is the only weapon which makes human being as resource for the
development of a nation. Man making and character building education develop
scientific outlook, experimental attitude and moral spirit as well as social,
economic and political understanding in our children those enable them to share
the responsibility in building an ideal nation. So an ideal foundation or
philosophical base of education is needed to make the nation developed. Educational
planning in India is, therefore, termed as the development planning which
intends to promote a rapid rise in the standard of living, increasing
production, opportunity to employment in the service of the community and
fulfillment of national objectives. Education becomes the instrument of
national development when it helps people acquire and develop the capabilities
to perform various tasks and functions exploiting their inner potentialities.
According to P. Drucker human beings become resources only when they are
trained, developed and attracted to productive work. After the attainment of
freedom in 1947, the main perspective of our national development was education.
Education was given more emphasis because education is the most important means
of national and emotional integration. Education should not only aim at
imparting knowledge but should develop all aspects of students’ personality. It
broadens the outlook, foster the feeling of oneness, nationalism, spirit of
sacrifice, tolerance and in this way self interest is submerged in the large
interest of the country. Personal development through education is ultimately
the cause of social welfare and national development. National system of
education irrespective of caste, creed, colour religion and language help in
the development of nation. Educational process involving the development of a
feeling of unity, solidarity and cohesion, a sense of common citizenship and
human resources makes the nation united and developed. Mahatma Gandhi rightly
considered education as the instrument of development. Gandhi never neglected
the aspect of economy. According to him a strengthened and sound rural economy
through the education of productive work would revitalize Indian economy. A
class less society or Sarvodaya could
introduce a system of Production that does not fail to make use of science and
Technology for creating a sound economy in modern civilization.
Gandhi’s seminal work Hind Swaraj is a critique of modern
civilization. He wrote ‘Hind Swaraj’ in 1908 and categorically mentioned that
Human progress is not the same thing as material progress. It is because moral
progress leads humans to higher level of consciousness and material progress is
essential only so long as it enhances moral progress. ‘Swaraj’ of individuals,
communities, societies and nation will be considered as goal to achieve human
progress and survival of humanity. ‘Swaraj’
could be achieved only through Sarvodaya
-the holistic development of all.
Gandhi appreciates some aspects of modern
civilization such as modern concept of human rights, fundamental equality, the
right of democratic representation etc. and firmly criticizes materialism,
rationalism, consumerism, modern medicine, immoral Governmental Institutions
and so on. According to David Hardiman Gandhi had put forward an ingenious
concept of ‘alternative Modernity’ and shown a constructive critique of
modernity accepting its good features. Hardiman mentioned that Gandhi gave an
alternative to the concept of development in the form of constructive programme
included as spinning, development of handicrafts, propagating communal harmony,
movement against untouchability village uplift and so on .6 Nicholas F. Gier believes that Gandhi is a
‘constructive’ post modernist since he places virtue at the centre of his
writings against the deconstructionist rejection of any central concept.7 In
Rudolph’s book Gandhi was entitled post modernist as he challenged epistemology
in the spirit of science and described his pursuit of truth as
‘experiment’.8 Gandhi’s idea of truth
was ‘truth in action’ in the facts and circumstances of the particular
situation.
His views on education and machinery
are equally unconventional, radical and relevant today. Gandhiji says, “
Character building has the first place in it (education and that is primary
education). A building erected on that foundation will last.”
In his book ‘Hind swaraj’ Gandhiji
approvingly quotes the definition of liberal education as given by Aldous
Huxley.
He says, “That man I think has had
liberal education who has been so trained in youth that his body is ready
servant of his will and does with ease and pleasure all the work that as a mechanism
it is capable of ; whose intellect is clear, cold, logic engine with all its
parts of equal strength and in smooth working order…..whose mind is stored with
knowledge of the fundamental truths of nature….whose passion are trained to
come to heel by a vigorous will, the servant of a tender conscience… who has
learnt to hate all vileness and to respect others as himself. Such a one and no
other , I conceive, has had liberal education, for he is in harmony with
nature. He will make the best of her and she the best of him”.
Reference:
1. Pandey janardan, Gandhi
and 21st century, Concept Publishing Company, NewDelhi,1998
(p.47)
2. Jolly S.K. Reading Gandhi, Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi ,2006
3. D. Hardiman, ‘An alternative Modernity’ Gandhi: in his Times and ours,2003
4. The Virtue of Non-Violence:from Gautama to Gandhi (SUNY Press,
2004), p.3
5 . L.I. Rudolph and S.H.
Rudolph, Postmodern Gandhi and other
essays, 2006
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