Gandhian Philosophy of Basic Education : Its Relevance in Present Era
Introduction :
Mahatma Gandhi is the father of the modern India . According to him , ' Truth is the God and God is the Truth '. His life was an experiment with truth and non-violence . Basic education was his brainchild and its principles were based on his philosophy of life . He was born on 2nd October , 1869 at Porbandar , Kathiawar , Gujarat and he breathed his last on 30th January , 1948 .
Principles and Objectives of Gandhian Education :
Although Gandhiji was neither a teacher nor he established any school , he is regarded as one of the greatest teachers of the mankind . His thoughts on education are quite relevant to the life , needs and aspirations of the society . According to him , education means - " an all-round development of the mind , body and spirit ." He viewed education as a means of promoting truth and non-violence . Independence or self-efficiency was the major aim of his education system . He was , therefore , in favour of introducing crafts as a source of income . He laid stress on vocational training . Gandhiji aimed at education as an agency of character development . Spiritual development was an important part of his education . Self-realisation was the main objective of Gandhian education . He wanted every school to be a community centre where all the facilities are to be made available for the development of the society as well as of all the individuals . He sought to develop physical , mental , social and spiritual aspects of the child through education . He also emphasized on the education of the 3H s- head, heart and hand in addition to the 3R s . Thus, he insisted on the development of their mental , emotional and manual aspects along with knowledge in arithmetic , writing and reading .
The contents of Gandhian Education :
i) A craft which suits the local needs and conditions ,
ii) Mother Tongue ,
iii) Arithmetic ,
iv) Environment & Social Studies ,
v) General Sciences ,
vi) Art work ,
vii) Music ,
viii) Domestic (Home) Science .
All the subjects were taught through a basic craft . Mother tongue occupied an important place as a subject of study and as the medium of instruction . Gandhiji's method of teaching had some peculiar features . He did not like the traditional passive and verbal method of teaching . He introduced craft as the centre of teaching learning process and laid stress on close relation between the teacher and the taught . The methods of teaching were mostly activity-based and dynamic in nature . Mathatma Gandhi took craft as a source of recreation as well as character-building . He emphasized on the principles of co-curricular activities , planning , accuracy , and individual responsibility in learning .
Conclusion :
By Gandhian ideals in the educational policy , we will be able to inspire the whole world by his ideas of truth . Gandhiji believed in non-violence and tolerance which required a great level of courage and patience . In a world that is moving through the phases of war marred by violence and terrorism , there is a significant requirement of Gandhian ideal of non-violence . The importance of value education is quite significant in today's world , or else , the present system of education cannot contribute much to the individual and social development . Value-oriented education does not mean preaching or mere propagating particular religious tenets , rather , it is inculcating of values in them considered functional for both individual as well as society . Gandhi's philosophical , religious , economic and social approaches and a number of contemporary Gandhian perspectives are relevant to the understanding of human values . By Gandhian ideals in the education policy , we will be able to inspire the whole world by his ideals of truth , non-violence , peace and love .
Assistant Professor ,
Department of Economics
Binandi Chandra Medhi College.
Ramdia , Kamrup
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