On Education

The issue of theory and practice of education evokes different responses in different people. The term ‘education’ has come from the Latin words: 1) Educere, to draw out or in other words to bring out the potentialities of the learners, 2) Educare, that is to bring up or rear and 3) Educatum, which is teaching. The corresponding Indian word ‘Siksha’ has its etymological base in the Sanskrit word ‘Shash’ which means to discipline, to control, to order, to direct. In this sense Education means disciplining the behavior of an individual. The term ‘Vidya’ meaning knowledge is another Sanskrit word which sheds light on the nature of education.
By examining the different definitions as given by great educators of the Orient & Occident, we can develop a basic idea about the nature and meaning of education:
“Education is the manifestation of perfection already in Man. Like fire in a piece of flint, knowledge exists in the mind. Suggestion is the friction which brings it out.” –Swami Vivekananda
“By education I mean an all round drawing out of the best in child and man- body, mind and spirit.” - Mahatma Gandhi
“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.” – Rabindranath Tagore
“Education is something which makes a man self-reliant and self-less.” –Rig Veda
“Education according to Indian tradition is not merely a means for earning a living; nor is it only a nursery of thought or a school for citizenship. It is initiation into the life of spirit, a training of human souls in the pursuit of Truth and the practice of virtue.” –Radhakrishnan
“Education develops in the body and soul of the pupil, all the beauty and all the perfection he is capable of.” –Plato
“Education is the child’s development from within.” –Rousseau
“Education is unfoldment of what is already enfolded in the germ. It is the process through which the child makes the internal external.” –Froebel
“Education is the harmonious and progressive development of all the innate powers and faculties of Man- physical, intellectual and moral.”-Pestalozzi
“Education is the superior adjustment of a physically and mentally developed conscious human being to his intellectual, emotional and vocational environment.”-H.H. Horne
“Education is the complete development of the individuality of the child so that he can make an original contribution to human life according to the best of his capacity.” T.P. Nunn
Thus it appears to me that the goals and meaning of Education can be approached from three different angles viz. moral, intellectual and economic or professional.
Moral: Moral Education to me is synonymous with enlightment. Now what do I mean by enlightment? Enlightment is the identification of the individual with all men irrespective of caste, creed, nation, colour, race or religion. It is the realization of the humanity that binds us all. The other important trait of moral education is the practice of virtue. Now what is virtue? Is it not a truth that virtue varies according to values which itself depends on time and space? True. But according to me virtue is the realization of the ethic of serving mankind and acting according to it especially for the poor, the hungry and the needy. If a learner acquires such education what will be its benefits apart from its inherent ethical and humanistic desirability? Firstly the problems of racialism, fundamentalism and religious intolerance will be solved. Secondly the sufferings of the disadvantaged will be reduced. Now what are the obstacles to such an awakening? Firstly such realizations are rare even in case of highly instructed conventionally educated persons. And even when there is such realization it is even rarer to find them translated into action. Their problem is that they have acquired information under the guise of knowledge but not true wisdom. Our present social status is based on wealth, power and fame but they should be based on merit, honesty and altruism. This will encourage people to work in the rural areas and to provide essential necessities such as education and health-care. How can this be done? Well, we will have to go through a transitionary period when there is a conscious effort on part of enlightened citizens to encourage such ideals. Then people will try to aspire to these values inspite of the fact that it may not come from within. Though it is not the ideal situation but the overall condition should improve. This is what is called social planning. The willingness to implement steps so that the highest ideals of our nation and civilization will flourish.
Intellectual: Matters of the intellect are a different thing altogether. There are thousands of opinions, views and ideologies which in our history have peacefully co-existed. So in this respect the goal should be initiation in the path for the search for truth. Indeed as the sage Ramakrishna said “Joto Mot, Toto Poth” which when translated into English reads- There are as many paths as there are opinions. But the end goal should be the ideals of truth, free thinking and concern for mankind.
Economic and the Professional Aspect: The economic or professional aspect of education is the most widely prevalent aspect that most people are aware of, perhaps the only benchmark of education that most people recognize. This type of education is often synonymous with instruction. But this system too has some inherent flaws. Often people pursue professions that provide the best opportunity for realization of higher social status and not in accordance to his aptitude and passions. There are exceptions of course but I feel this is the general trend. The permanent solution is glorification of the moral aim of education as outlined before. Apart from that a person who pursues his professional activities according to his aptitudes and passions is more likely to be happy and satisfied with his life thus enhancing his productivity which again will benefit the society and the nation. But how are we to achieve this? In all schools and colleges there should be trained psychologists of various age groups, well versed in educational psychology and a particular subject. The challenges posed by a problem-child should be resolved by dedicated counseling. Pupils who show promise in a particular subject should be encouraged to further his studies on that particular subject under special supervision and a distinct curriculum as done in some western and developed nations. This will definitely increase our intellectual capital.