Assignment gandhi contribution to education

Contribution of Indian thinkers towards education

1. ASSIGNMENT
INDIAN THINKERS - MAHATMA GANDHI
Submitted by,
Divya S S
Ist B.Ed Mathematics
Roll No : 18

2. INDEX
MAHATMA GANDHI (1869-1948) 2
GANDHIJI’SEDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY 3
GANDHIJI’S SYSTEM OF BASIC EDUCATION 10
GANDHIJI’S CONTRIBUTION TO EDUCATION 12
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3. MAHATMA GANDHI (1869-1948)
●MohandasKaramchandGandhi,honoredbypeopleofIndiaastheFatherof
nation.
●A great leader, a practical philosopher and an educational thinker.
●Born on 2nd October,1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat.
●In 1893, he went to South Africa as a legal advisor.
●In1914,GandhireturnedtoIndiaandcontinuedhiseducationalexperiments
forashorttimeattheShantiniketanandthenatSabarmati.Itwasatthis
time that Gandhiji conceived the idea of his new system of education.
●Hewantedtoestablishafreeandcastelesssocietywithnoexploitationand
racialdiscrimination.Forthispurpose,heusededucationasaninstrument.
Hisphilosophyofeducationwastheoutcomeofhislongexperienceinthe
political, social and economic life of the country.
●SomeofhisstruggleswhichGandhijiledincludetheNon-cooperation
movement, Jallianwala massacre, Quit India Movement etc.
●Importantworks:MyExperimentswithTruth,SatyagrahainSouthAfrica,
Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule.
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4. GANDHIJI'S EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
Gandhijievolvedaphilosophyofeducationasthedynamicsideofhis
philosophyoflife.Heviewededucationasapotentinstrumentofsocial
reconstruction.Onaccountofhisnewschemeofeducationknownas'Basic
education’,Gandhijiisconsideredasthestartingpointofmoderneducational
theory.
1.Meaning of Education
AccordingtoGandhiji“Literacyisneitherthebeginningnortheendof
education.Thisisonlyameansthroughwhichmanorwomencanbeeducated”.
Gandhijiobserves“ByeducationImeananallrounddrawingoutofthebestin
childandmanbody,mindandspirit”.ThisishowGandhijisummeduphisideaof
true education.
●Educationisdevelopment:“Allround’’impliesharmonious
development.Drawingoutofthebestrecognisesagreatpotentialitycoiled
upinthechildwhichcanberealizedanddevelopedtoitsperfectionthrough
education.Itisthedevelopmentofhumanpersonalityintermsofphysical,
intellectualandspiritualaspects.Educationshouldtakecareofthewhole
child,thehumanpersonality.Itshouldbethefunctionofeducationtobring
aboutaharmoniousdevelopmentofalltheaspectsofhumanpersonalityso
that it can grow to its highest stature and serve the society at its best.
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5. ●Educationisnotliteracy:Gandhijididnotfavorteachingandlearningof
3R'sreading,writingandarithmeticasliteracyitselfisnoeducation.
Literacyisjustameansofeducation.Heemphasizedthedevelopmentof
head,heartandhand(3H).AccordingtoGandhiji“Trueeducationisthat
whichdragsoutandstimulatesthespiritual,intellectualandphysical
facilities of the children”.
2.Aims of Education
Gandhiji divided educational aims into two categories such as:
(i) Immediate aims of education and
(ii) Ultimate aims of education
>Immediate Aim
●VocationalAim:Itisalsoknownasaself-supportingaimof
education.Gandhijiwishedthateachchildshouldbeabletolearna
productivecrafttomeethisfutureneedsoflifeandbecome
self-supporting.Headvocatededucationforself-relianceandthe
capacitytoearnone’slivelihood.Inhisownwords,“Educationought
to be for them(children) a kind of insurance against employment”.
●CulturalAim:Headvocatedthatvocationaleducationandcultural
advancementshouldgosidebyside.Heconsideredtheculturalaspect
ofeducationasmoreessentialthanitsacademicaspect.Cultureisthe
mainfoundationandanessentialpartofeducation.Cultureisthe
primary and basic thing which the girls should receive from school.
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6. ●CharacterbuildingAim:AccordingtoGandhiji,theendofall
knowledgeshouldbethebuildingupofcharacter.Characterbuilding
impliescultivationofmoralvaluessuchascourage,strengthofmind,
righteousness,self-restraintandserviceofhumanity.Hebelievedthat
educationwillautomaticallydevelopanabilityinthechildto
distinguish between good and bad.
●PerfectDevelopmentAim:Gandhijioncewrote,“Therealeducation
isthatwhichfullydevelopsthebody,mindandsoulofchildren.”He
furtherobserved,“Manisneithermereintellect,northegrossanimal
body,norheartorsoulalone.Aproperandharmoniouscontribution
ofallthethreeisrequiredforthemakingofthewholemanand
constitutes the true economics of education”.
●DignityofLabour:Gandhijiwantedthateducationshoulddevelop
studentsinsuchamannerthattheybecomeself-dependent.Gandhiji
saysthataftersevenyearsofeducationfromthesevenyearsofageto
fourteenyears,thechildshouldbeabletoearnandshouldnothesitate
todomanualworks.Thestudentsmustlearnthedignityoflabor.
Theyshouldnotfeelshywhiledoingsomeworkwiththeirown
hands.
●TrainingforLeadership:Gandhijibelievedthatforsuccessful
democracy,goodleadersareneeded.Educationshoulddevelop
leadershipqualitiesinstudents.Thatwayonlythestudentswillbe
able to shoulder the responsibilities in a satisfactory manner.
●IndividualandSocialAims:Gandhijistressedthateducationshould
equipthelearnerforindividualandsocialaims.Boththeseaims
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7. shouldbesynthesized.Onlythroughthisway,theindividualbecomes
betterandthesocietyisenriched.Onlygoodindividualsformabetter
society.
>Ultimate Aim of Education
AccordingtoGandhiji,theultimateaimofeducationistorealizegod.All
otheraimsaresubservienttothissupremeaim.Itisthesameaimof
self-realizationwhichhasbeencomingdownsincetheveryearlytimesofIndian
wisdomandwhichconstitutestheessenceofIndianphilosophy.Accordingto
Gandhiji,“Developmentofthemoralcharacter,developmentofthewhole-all
wheredirectedtowardstherealizationoftheultimatereality-themergerofthe
finite being into the infinite.” It is realizing godliness in himself.
3.Curriculum
Gandhijiadvocatedlife-centeredandactivity-centeredcurriculum.He
suggesteddomesticscienceforgirlsKnowledgeandskillisimpartedthrough
manualworkandproductivecraftshavingutilityvalue.Gandhijiincludedmother
tongue,craft,arithmetic,socialstudies,generalscience,art,musicetc.assubjects
ofstudy.Itisbasedontheconceptoflearningbydoingandlearningwhile
earning.Thecurriculumshouldcontainabasiccraftinaccordancewithlocal
conditions.
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8. 4.Methods of Teaching
Gandhiji advocated the following methods of teaching:
●Educationthroughcraft:Childrenshouldbeeducatedthroughabasiccraft
suchasspinning,weaving,carpentry,agriculture,villageandcottage
industries etc.
●Mothertongue:MothertongueshouldbethemediumofInstruction.
AccordingtoGandhiji,“Alleducationshouldtakeplacethroughthe
mediumofmothertongue.Itmakestheprocessofeducationnaturaland
meaningful”.
●Emphasisonactivitymethod:Gandhianeducationisnotbookishinnature.
Educationisimpartedthroughcreativeandproductiveactivities.Learning
by doing:
●LearningbydoingisthewatchworldoftheGandhiansystemofeducation.
Thus, the child participates in some activity and learns through experiences.
●Correlationshouldbeestablishedamongdifferentacademicsubjectsin
teachingmethodsandlearningexperiences.Thus,intheGandhianscheme
ofteaching,academiccontentsarecorrelatedwithactuallifeexperiences,
environments and craft.
●Lecturemethod,questioninganddiscussionsaresomeothertechniques
which are employed in the Gandhian scheme of education.
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9. Inadditiontotheabove,Gandhijiemphasizedtheneedofco-curricularactivities,
planning,realisticexperiences,initiativeandsenseofindividualresponsibilityto
be associated with the craft centered teaching method.
5.Concept of Discipline
Gandhiji’sapproachtodisciplineisbasedonthedisciplineofmind,thought
andaction.Itisinnerdisciplineorself-control.Likenaturalists,Gandhialso
advocatedfreedomofthechild.Atthesametime,hewantschildrentobeprepared
to accept the appropriate discipline and training.
Hisconceptofdisciplineisintunewithsocialdiscipline.Educationwas
recognizedasameansofgenerating‘feeling’amongtheindividualssoastomake
them useful and responsible citizens of the country.
6.Views about Teacher
●Gandhijiwantedtherighttypeofteachers,whowerededicatedtotheir
profession and ready to serve the masses.
●Teachersmustbewell-trained,proficient,faithful,andenthusiasm,menof
knowledge, men of action and devotion, character and nationalistic feeling.
●Teachers are responsible for shaping the personalities of their students.
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10. ●Ateacherwhoteachesfromtextbooksdoesnotimpartoriginalitytohis
pupils. So, he should teach from life.
●Theteachermustlearnthecraftandcorrelatehisknowledgetothecraft,so
thathewillimpartallthatknowledgetohispupilsthroughthemediumof
particular craft that he chooses.
●Atprimaryclassestheteachermustreallybeamothertothechildrenshe
teaches.
7.View about Women Education
Gandhijiwasstronglyinfavorofwomeneducation.Womeneducationcan
helpinupliftingthesocietyandthenation.Womencanplayagreatrolein
educatingtheirchildren.Hesaid,“Mygreatesthopeisinwomen,theywanta
helping hand to lift them out of the hell in which they have been kept”.
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11. GANDHIJI’S SYSTEM OF BASIC EDUCATION
TomaterializethevisionofsocietyGandhijievolvedaschemeofeducation
aftermanytrialsandexperimentsoveraperiodof40years.Hisideas
revolutionizedthecurrentthinkingabouteducation.Thisschemeofeducationis
knownasBasiceducationorWardhaschemeofeducationorNaiTalimin1937as
arevoltagainstthesterile,bookcentered,examination-orientedsystemof
educationpropagatedbytheBritish.Thissystemiscalledbythename‘wardha
scheme’becausethesalientfeaturesofthiseducationwasfirstpresentedby
GandhijiintheAllIndiaNationalEducationConferenceheldatWardha(near
Nagpur)on22ndand23rdofOctober,1937.Gandhijiusesthetermbasicto
describehisschemeofeducationbecauseitisintimatelyrelatedwiththebasic
needsandinterestofIndianchildren.Moreover,itiscloselyrelatedtothepeople
livinginthevillages.Itisaneducationalschemeforthecommonmanwho
constitutes the base or backbone of our country.
Features of basic education
The basic scheme of education has the following features:
●Thecoreaimofbasiceducationistohelpstudentstodevelop
self-sufficiency.
●Basic education laid a strong emphasis on manual work.
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12. ●Thereshouldbefree,compulsoryanduniversaleducationwithintheage
group 7 to 14.
●Itenvisagesprovidingeducationthroughthemediumofcraftorproductive
work so that the child gains economic self-reliance for his life.
●The medium of education should be mother tongue.
●Itisaimedtoachievetheharmoniousdevelopmentofthechild’sbody,mind,
heart and soul.
●It is geared to create useful, responsible and dynamic citizens.
●Play is an essential part of basic education.
●Subjectsaretaughtincorrelationwithcraft,withenvironmentandwith
other subjects.
●It is geared to create useful, responsible and dynamic citizens.
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13. GANDHIJI’S CONTRIBUTION TO EDUCATION
Gandhiji’scontributiontoeducationisunique.HewasthefirstIndianwho
advocatedaschemeofeducationbasedupontheessentialvaluesofIndianculture
and civilization. His contribution to education are the following:
1.Anewconceptofeducation:Gandhijiinterpretededucationasthe
developmentofhumanpersonality.Thiscanbematchedwithanymodern
conceptofeducation.Hisschemeofeducationislifecentered.Itis
educationoflife,throughlifeandforlife.Itreallyprovidesopportunityfor
characterbuilding,developmentofall-roundpersonalityandpreparesfor
effective and successful living through life problems and real-life situations.
2.Itiseducationforcitizenship:InthewordsofDr.ZakirHussain,“Thenew
schemewhichweareadvocatingwillaimatgivingthecitizensofthefuture
akeensenseofpersonalworth,dignityandefficiencyandwillstrengthenin
themthedesireforself-improvementandsocialservicesinaco-operative
community”.
3.Educationforanewsocialorder:Gandhijiwantedtomakeeducationan
instrumentofsocialchangeandsocialreconstruction.Byeducatingthe
masses,hewantedtoestablishanewsocietyknownas”SarvodayaSamaj”-
anewclass-less,castelesssociety.Thissocietywillbebasedonthe
principles of truth and non-violence in individual and collective life.
4.Practicalnatureofeducation:Gandhijiintroducedcraftcenteredorwork
orientededucationwhichistheundercurrentofanymodernsystemof
education.Thoughhehadadesiretoteachallthesubjectsthroughhand
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14. work,hewasneverthelessawarethateverythingofthesesubjectscouldnot
be taught.
5.Psychologicallysound:Hisschemeofeducationispsychologicallysound.
Itisbaseduponthefactthewholeeducationalstructureisplannedwiththe
child as the center. It implies different theories and laws of learning.
6.Sociologicallysound:Gandhianschemeofeducationinculcateswe-feeling
workingcooperativelyandfostersgroupoflifeandbuildingsocialqualities
itinstillsessentialsocialvirtues,buildscharacterandprovidesbetter
understanding of social life and it’s provides.
7.Soundteachingtechniques:Themethodofteaching,especiallythe
techniquesofcorrelation,areverysound.Themethodsandtechniquesof
teaching advocated by him revolutionized Indian thinking.
Gandhianeducationalphilosophystillholdstrue.Itisrelevanteventoday.Afew
changescannotberuledout.Gandhianschemeandhiseducationalphilosophyis
‘new’, ‘epoch making’, ‘original’ and ‘revolutionary’.
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15. REFERENCE
●Educational Thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi - Dr.C.Thanavathi
https://www.slideshare.net/thna1581981/educational-thoughts-of-mahat
ma-gandhi-drcthanavathi
●Gandhi's Educational Thoughts - MKGandhi.Org
https://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/Gandhis-educational-thoughts.html
●Educational philosophy of mahatma gandhi introduction
http://lnmuacin.in/studentnotice/ddelnmu/2020/C%208%20EDUCATI
ONAL%20PHILOSOPHY%20OF%20MAHA TMA%20GANDHI-A%
20K%20Milan.pdf
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