Abstract:
Gandhian Philosophy and
thought on education had brought a new dimension and fundamental changes for
building up of a new social order based on tolerance, truth and non-violence.
But a dismal picture in the sphere of education is seen today as we have been
failed to follow his glorious thought in the field of education. Educational
Institutions have been the breeding ground of violence, communal conflicts,
racial discrimination and social disintegration. Moreover, education of today
has become completely out of touch both with the realities of national life and
the upsurge of national aspirations. It has failed to cope up with the
socio-economic problem stirring up in our country. The morality and human
values of the youth of our country have been decreasing day by day as the
system of education gives the youth a little insight in their national
heritage, culture and values. But if we go through the Gandhian thought, we
will find that he categorically emphasized on the development of social,
cultural, economic, environmental and aesthetic values through the adoption of
‘Learning by doing’ which will cause ‘all round drawing out of the best in
child and man –body, mind and spirit’ Gandhi wanted to make our child to be
more practical rather than depending upon the accumulation of bookish
knowledge. He emphasized on the development of 3Hs (Head, Heart and Hand)
instead of 3Rs(Reading, writing and arithmetic). Gandhian thought on education
is thus the root of solutions of all present social, economic and educational
problems. His thought on environmental education also makes us concern about
the sustainable development and ecological balance to challenge all sorts of
environmental threats in the 21st century.
Introduction: Gandhian Humanism is a
new concept of humanism goes deeper into the problems of mankind and finds out
solutions through the weapons of education. It is a concept of inner awakening
of mankind. It gives emphasis on love and truth. Education to him is the
exploration of inner consciousness. Education is the service with full
sacrifice in the course of self- discovery, self-enrichment, self-evolution and
self-askance. Human imagination is on the brink of Flourish or perish toyed
with automation, super-computerization and Mega-machines. A robotized and
computerized society is sacked with its computerized imagination. Purity of thoughts and perfection of
imagination are waning today. Gandhian humanism shows the inner awakening of
man. As a part of humanistic enterprise Gandhi gave emphasis on the strict
principle of work and adherence to duty. He presents the example of birds
singing hymns of praise in the early morning and has had their food on flying
with rested wings. According to Gandhi, “I have had the pain of watching birds that
for want of strength could not be coaxed even into a flutter of their wings.
The human bird under the Indian sky gets up weaker than when he pretended to
retire. For millions it is an eternal vigil or an eternal trance. It is an
indescribably painful state which has got to be experienced to be realized”1
Gandhi rejects
spoon feeding or dependence of humanity drastically and inspires real awakening
of humanism through self-activity and self-dependence. Spirit of work and
worship humanity as Gandhi ardently believes is the worship of God.
Gandhi advocates
self-respect self-discipline and self-honour to be achieved in performing one’s
duties and responsibilities. Thus the introduction of Charkha or the spinning
wheel in schools was considered the way of reviving the inner consciousness of
humanity.
The Basic
education and Values: The basic Education a practical approach to Naitalim
designed by means of spinning wheel is the key to Gandhian humanism. Gandhi
emphasizes on the humanistic approach to education than mere accomplishments in
scholastic Endeavour. Basic Education undeniably expand the heart and mind It
fosters humanism and cultivate the spirit of total human welfare. A child
receiving craft centric, purposeful, useful, meaningful education will be truly
prepared for the peace and prosperity of the humanity. Education in course of
undergoing Basic Education programmes will ensure total development of manhood.
Gandhi elucidates this philosophy of making ‘the full man’ characteristically.
Gandhi wanted to
make education a vehicle of transcendence of man and a means of evolution of
human consciousness. Gandhi advocates such type of education right from the
childhood for physical, mental, social, morals, aesthetic and spiritual uplift.
Gandhi believes in that education of the heart and purity of thought and action
can not be imparted by so called bookish knowledge. Teachers who are ethically
and aesthetically sound can turn out pupils being worthy citizens of tomorrow.
He remarks: “I do not believe that this ( the education
of heart) can be imparted through books. It can only be done through the living
touch of the teacher. And who are the teachers in the Primary and even
Secondary schools? Are they men and women of faith and character? Have they
themselves received the training of the heart? Are they ever expected to take
care of the permanent element in the boys and girls placed under their charge?
2
Gandhi‘s
humanistic pattern of Education: If education allows freedom for children to
enjoy and experience truth directly and consciously through the hands on
activities, it becomes more humanistic for the sake of their own development.
He wanted children to broaden their mind and widen their outlook. Even to
humanize education Gandhi advocated for introduction of sex education which is
surely the way of sublimation of curiosity and sex passion of the adolescents.
He clearly elucidates:
“We properly
control, or conquer the sexual passion by turning a blind eye to it. I am,
therefore, strongly in favour of teaching young boys and girls the significance
and right use of their generative organs. In my own way I have tried to impart
this knowledge to young children of both sexes, for whose training I was
responsible. But the sex education that I stand for must have for its object
the sex passion. Such education should automatically serve to bring home to
children the essential distinction between man and brute, to make them realize
that it is man’s privilege and pride to be gifted with the faculties of head
and heart both, that he is a thinking no less than a feeling animal, and to
renounce the sovereignty of reason over the blind instinct, is, therefore,
renounce a man’s estate. In man reason quickens and guides the feeling, in
brute the soul lies ever dormant. To awaken the heart is to awaken the dormant
soul, to awaken reason and to inculcate discrimination between good and evil.
Today, our entire environment-our reading, our thinking, and our social
behavior—is generally calculated to subserve and cater for the sex urge. To
break through its coils is no easy task. But it is a task worthy of our highest
Endeavour.”3
Importance of
Manual Labour: If education means awakening of the heart and soul manual labour
is necessary then. For humanistic education, he has given more emphasis on
manual labour to develop self-dependence and self- respect. The end of true
education can be fulfilled through artisan work. He remarks:
“The utterly false idea that intelligence can
be developed only through book-reading should give place to the truth that the
quickest development of the mind can be achieved by the artisan’s work being
learnt in a scientific manner. True development of the mind commences
immediately the apprentice is taught at every step why a particular
manipulation of the hand or a tool is required. The problem of the unemployment
of students can be solved without difficulty, if they will rank themselves
among the common labourers.”4
To promote
humanism Gandhi considers the dignity of work in education. He wanted to bring
a radical change in the concept of education considering work as the worship to
humanity.
To him, “Work
done with integrity and intelligence, is ultimately the only proper medium
through which human beings can be truly educated and that schools must become
active centers of ‘doing’ and ‘learning by doing’ both organized in integral
relationship with each other. This appreciation of the intrinsic relationship
between doing, learning and living…..springs from the deepest sources of his
thought. He has been a worker—and in contact with workers---throughout his
life. He knows, through firsthand experience and observation, that real value
is created through honest work and that true culture is even more emphatically
a product of the field, the farm of the workshop than the library and the
lecture room.”5
Man making and
Character building Education: Gandhi wanted to develop inherent sense of
humanity among children.
“He aims at
exalting co-operation above competition, service above exploitation and non-violence
above Violence. Above all, his educational scheme….is inspired by the hope that
by making all children learn co-operatively through craft work, thus sharing
the life and labour of the masses, it will not release their productive powers
for the service of the common good but deepen their sense of humanity and kingship with their fellowmen
all over the world”6
Education is the
positive force of humanism. He appealed to this positive force which can bring
about the complete change in man transforming character and elevating
personality. Anibel del Campo observes:
“Gandhi
advocated the complete transformation of men; and for this transformation, one
of his important tools was education. He aimed at the re-education of character
and he sought to achieve this by giving them an Ashramic or collective education. Gandhi felt that by training the personality
of men one would achieve a true revolution, since all revolutions are based on
a transformation of education. The two elements which formed its base—truth and
non-violence----always went together, It is only in their perspective that Gandhi
saw the liberation of India. The liberation of India was not based on material
values or on historical co-existence, but on a moral or religious vocation
which goes back to the Upanishads and the Veda. What is most important was
education, because only education could get the upper hand over materialism, to
which the people of India were exposed.”7
Unfoldment of Latent qualities through hands
on Activities: Gandhi wanted to revolutionize education through the unfoldment
of latent qualities of children. He correlates education with real life
situation for rethinking and redesigning human possibilities in the world of
wisdom. Gandhi elucidates on revolutionalisaton of educaton:
“Our education
has to be revolutionalised. The brain should be educated through the hand. If I
were a poet, I could write poetry on the possibilities of five fingers. And why
should you think that the mind is everything and the hands and feet are
nothing. Those who do not train the hands, who go through the ordinary rut of
education, ‘lack’ music in their life. All their faculties are not trained. Mere
book knowledge does not interest the child, so as to hold attention fully. The
brain gets weary of mere words, and the child’s mind begins to wander. The hand
does the thing it ought not to do, the eye sees things I ought not to see, and
the ear ought not to hear the things it ought not to hear, and they do not do,
see or hear, respectively, what they ought to. They are not taught to make the
right choice and so their education often proves their ruin. An education which
does not teach us to discriminate between good and bad, to assimilate the one
and eschew the other, is a misnomer.8
Basic Education
and religion: Gandhi considered religion
as an indispensable factor in the system of education. Gandhian system of basic education provides
equal consideration to all religions. It teaches the broad moral principles
common to all religions. Truth, non-violence, loves for the country, moral
uplift and so on are common in all great religions. The Gandhian system of
education in fact develops all the good qualities of head and heart in such a
way that there is an all –round development of the full personality of the
child, making him a patriot in the real sense. In this way, we find a close
relationship between basic education and religion”.9
Gandhi opened new
schools for imparting Basic education wih view to spread humanism. He
clarifies:
“ ..in the
schools I am opening , children under the age of twelve only are admitted. The
idea is to get hold of as many children as possible and to give them an
all-round education, a good knowledge of Hindi or Urdu and, through that
medium, of arithmetic and rudiments of history and geography, knowledge of
simple scientific, principles and some industrial training. No cut and dried syllabus
has yet been prepared because I am going on an unbeaten track. I look upon our
present system with horror and distrust. Instead of developing the moral and
mental faculties of the little children it dwarfs them. ….I shall endeavor to
avoid the defects of the present system. The chief thing aimed at is contact of
children with men and women of culture and unimpeachable moral character. That
to me is education. Literary training is to be used merely as a means to that
end. The industrial training is to be designed for the boys and the girls who
may come to us for an additional means of livelihood. It is not intended that
on completing their education they should leave their hereditary occupation but
make use of the knowledge acquired in the school to refine agriculture and
agricultural life. Our teachers will also touch the lives of grown-up people
and, if at all possible, penetrate the purdah. Instruction will be given to
grown-up people in hygiene and about the advantages of joint action, for the
promotion of communal welfare, such as, the making of village roads proper, the
sinking of wells, etc. And as no school will be manned by teachers who are not
men or women of good training, we propose to give free medical aid as far as
possible.10
Conclusion:
An apostle of education Gandhi symbolizes education as a serene means of
inner growth and for the advancement of radical humanism. Just seven days prior
to the independence of India Gandhi advised to the students to lead a simple
life being engaged in high thinking.
“They must
stimulate the faculty of high thinking. I do not even remotely suggest that the
student can force the situation by strikes and the like. They have to create
the public opinion by offering constructive and enlightened criticism. The
senators having been brought up in the old school are slow to move. They can
truly be acted by enlightenment.
A student life
has been rightly linked to the life of a sanyashi. He must be the embodiment of
simple living and high thinking. He must be discipline incarnate. His pleasure
is derived from his studies.11
References:
1.
Gandh, M. K.
(1921). Young India. p. 326.
2.
Ibid.
3.
Tendulkar,D. G.(1953).
Mahatma. Publications Division,
Ministry of Information and Broad Casting, Government of India, Vol. IV, P. 62.
4.
M.K. Gandhi: Harijan,
January 9, 1937.(Cited), Singh, Y.K.(2009).Educational
philosophy of Mhatma Gandhi. New Delhi:; A P H Publishing corporation.
5.
Saiyidain, K. G.(?). Gandhiji:
His Life and Work. PP. 207-208
6.
Ibid. PP. 210-221
7.
Campo, A. del. (1970).
Application of Truth and Non-Violence in
Gandhi’s Teaching and Work:Truth and
Non-Violence. New Delhi: Gandhi Peace Foundation, PP. 197-198.
8.
Tendulkar, D. G. (1953). Mahatma, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broad
Casting, Government of India, Vol. v, P. 42.
9.
Samsuddin: “A few
words on Gandhian Education and Religion”, The
Visva Bharati Quartely, Gandhi Number,
vol. 35, August 1971, p. 82.
10.
Tendulkar, D. G. (1953). Mahatma, Publications Division,
Ministry of Information and Broad Casting, Government of India, Vol.1,
pp.211—212.
11. Tendulkar,
D. G. (1953). Mahatma, Publications
Division, Ministry of Information and Broad Casting, Government of India,
Vol.III, p.71.
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