Volume I, Issue III LEAD ARTICLE Ailaan

NCRI Newsletter

Gandhijis Basic Education: A Medium

of Value-Education By Dr. Sitaram P. Deshmukh
The function of education is to create ideal citizens. Ideal means an individual is overwhelming
with virtues and is always well behaved. Ideal citizens are the pre-requisite for coherent and
comprehensive development. The education to produce the best citizens means the education of
changing the hearts of people. This expects education to change the hearts of individuals.

Explaining the meaning of genuine education Mahatma Gandhi says, Genuine education does not
consist of cramming a lot of information and numbers in mind, nor it lies in passing the
examination by reading a number of books, but it lies in developing character. It is a real
education which inculcates internal virtues (values) in human beings. If you can develop such
virtues, it will be the best education.

Education is a process of comprehensive development of the best things (Points, parts) lying in
the mind and soul of children or men and bringing them out1. Gandhiji has shown the royal path
to us and to the world to observe and implement the lofty virtues and values in daily life practice
by setting an example of himself by putting in to practice those ideals in his daily life activities.
Value education means the education that teaches to put the virtues and values in to practice.

According to the concept of value education given by great Indian thinkers like Gandhiji, Gurudev
Tagore, Dr. Radhakrishnan, Maharshi, Arvind, Swami Vinekanand and the values presented by
the National Education Commission and NEP 1986, it is made clear that value education means

Morality, equanimity, sympathy and spiritual development education.

Education of development of virtues like simplicity, freedom, labouriousness, aesthetic
sense etc.
Education of universal values like truth and non-violence.
Education for cultivating qualities like loyalty, fidelity, courage, discipline, sacrifice,
observance of truth etc.
Education for noble embellishment, expression of basic growth by good conduct and change
of heart.
Education for developing humanity, broad mindedness, servicability, fearlessness
(boldness), honesty, devotion, respect, co-operation, sense of responsibility etc.
Education for integrity and democratic sense development. There lies the opportunity for all
the above values to develop in basic Education.
Continued

I consider high-speed data transmission an invention that became a major

innovation. It changed the way we all communicate. ~ Dean Kamen

NCRI 22 March 2010

Volume I, Issue III LEAD ARTICLE Ailaan
NCRI Newsletter

Development values through Basic Education :

Gandhiji was a great revolutionary person. He had deeply thought over all the aspects (factors)
relating to life. He has shown a new path for solution of problems of entire world by placing the
universal human values at social and national level.

Gandhiji happened to read Ruskins Unto the Last given by Polak during the train journey in
South-Africa. Its impact on Gandhiji was miraculous. Gandhiji found three doctrines of universal
welfare (Sarvodaya) from this book. They are as under.

1. Welfare of all (universal welfare) is our welfare.

2. The work of a barber and lawyer should be equally appraised because the right of livelihood
is equal for all.
3. Simple and labourious life of a farmer is the real life.2
Gandhiji set up Phoenix Ashram (hermitage) in South-Africa to apply these doctrines in daily
practice. He took up experiments of education. Thus it can be said that the seeds of educational
thoughts were sown in Gandhiji in South-Africa. He conducted educational experiments at
Phoenix Ashram and Tolstoy wadi (Garden) in South-Africa.
These include
Education for character building, education through mother-tongue
Place of manual work in education and co-education
Hostel residence and community life
Hostel residence and community life, education promoting nationality
Moral education through character and good conduct
Education of soul should be imparted through teachers (model) life rather than through
books
Health education for physical fitness and health and insistence for simple life
Importance of (exercise) physical education, education for toughness (strength), education
for citizenship.
Education for self-help and self-reliance, education for personality development
Education for avoiding caste and colour distinction, education for vocation useful for life
Education for equality of all the religions, education based (founded) on truth, non-violence
and justice.
Gandhiji held educational experiments at Shantiniketan, Kocharab Ashram, Sabarmati
Ashram and Gujarat Vidyapeeth after returning from South-Africa, and gave a new vision
(Philosophy) of education to educational world by placing Vardha Education Scheme before the
nation in 1937. Continued

If you open up the mind, the opportunity to address both profits and social
conditions are limitless. It's a process of innovation. ~ Jerry Greenfield

NCRI 23 March 2010

Volume I, Issue III LEAD ARTICLE Ailaan
NCRI Newsletter

The report of Vardha Education Scheme-1937 included (covered) only the primary stage of
education. But in 1945, Gandhiji put the concept of Comprehensive Basic Education (Samagra
Nai Talim) Training before the nation.

The five national values presented under the title of national Panchsheel included in NPE 1986 viz
(1) Cleanliness (2) Truthfulness (3) Hardwork (4) equality and (5) Co-operation are naturally
developed in Basic education.

In basic education system it is recommended to impart education through mother tongue and if is
already so. Gandhiji, too, believed that the foundation of education should be laid through mother
tongue. It helps inculcating values like love towards mother tongue and swadeshi (native)

Education through industry is the basic principle of Basic education, because it helps developing
values like respect for manual labour, sense of co-operation, feeling of being mutually helpful
through manual work, development of friendship feeling, economical self-reliance, team spirit and
sincerity.

Today we have forgotten self-help (Self-labour) in education. As a result children seem to be

lacking behind in routine dealing skills in daily life. Present education has become examination
centered. Due to this curiously enough a student, fluently uttering any principle of science, answer
of questions of history or fluently reciting any of the Gujarati poems becomes nervous when the
fuse of home light burns or a nail of shoe is dropped out. Everybody must learn to do his/her own
work by him/herself.

Present children seem to understand that cleaning house, sweeping room, cleansing rooms with
wet cloth, cleaning vessels, washing clothes are the functions of work women. Such misconcepts
of childs mind prevent their comprehensive development. Such misconcepts will be removed
only when self-labour will be given an important place in education.

Self-labour is given an important place in basic education. Here children do as many activities as
possible on their own accord. As a result, values like exertion, efforts, courage, initiation, respect
for manual labour, self-confidence and self-dependence etc. develop automatically in children.

Basic education imparts children training of self-reliance. One of the four major resolutions
formed by Vardha Parishad reads thus: During the entire time period, the centre of education
must be some type of physical and (useful) productive work, and the abilities of children should be
developed and education should be imparted as far as possible in co-ordination with the central
major industry selected by them and keeping in view the environment of children In this,
productivity is directly connected with self-reliance. Continued

Innovation comes from the producer - not from the customer.

~ W. Edwards Deming

NCRI 24 March 2010

Volume I, Issue III LEAD ARTICLE Ailaan
NCRI Newsletter

Gandhiji has said in context of self reliance, I would prefer to start a childs education after
teaching him some useful manual industry and enabling him for some innovative creation. Every
school can be self-reliant,7 Education should offer a child such a strength that he can be free from
tension about his future (i.e. What to do?) at the end of education. Shastri Jayendra Dave while
explaining the meaning of self-dependence says, Self-dependence means relief from economical,
social, mental or any type of subjection individuals being self-reliant. An individual should
acquire three-fold independence (Self-reliance) after completing education8. That is why Gandhiji
had advocated education through industry, so that the individual can stand on his legs (be -self-
reliant), that is he/she can be self-dependent, self-reliant.
Collective (inseparable) education, too, has been given place as important as industry and
community life. Saint Vinobajee has said, The learning process between teacher and student is
not possible without harmony among (home) family, society, environment, and embellishment. If
even one of them is absent, it raises a risk of failure of educational exereise9. That is why
Gandhiji has shown us the path of comprehensive education generated by experience through
perceptible functions or industry going to the open environment rather than the education process
in a close room of four walls.
Thus education through comprehensive education system leads to the promotion of values like
environment preservation, human viewpoint, awareness of social accountability and social service.
In basic education Gandhiji has given the same importance to community life as to industry as a
medium of education. Education through community life develops in children the qualities like
team spirit, shoulder to shoulder work, that is co-operation and a sense of mutual help. A child
acquires competence of social adjustment through community life. In traditional education system,
only class-room teaching takes place collectively. There, too, the education is being imparted
through talking or lecture method rather than activities. As a result the development of sociability
in children does not reach the expected level.
While on the other hand, in Gandhijis basic education system, the education of community life is
imparted through perceptible activities of daily life dealings and various activities of industry.
Daily activities of school life, atmosphere generated activities, cultural activities and collective
and creative activities of class or school, and laborious, creative and productive activities of hand
industry have been made a medium of community education. Thus a child naturally develops
sociability. Ashrami (Residential) Education has been given a crucial place in basic education.
Present residential education has its roots in our ancient Indian culture. Gandhiji said, I erect an
Ashram wherever I go, as if I dont know anything else. This is true. This Ashram itself became
the form of education. In our country there prevailed an Indian tradition of this Ashrami education
in Penance forest (ascetics dwelling) and Gurukul. Continued

Local innovation and initiative can help us better understand how to

protect our environment. ~ Gale Norton

NCRI 25 March 2010

Volume I, Issue III LEAD ARTICLE Ailaan
NCRI Newsletter

Gandhiji came and conducted experiments as to what Ashrami education can be suitable to
modern circumstances (time and place), Wherever he went. According to him Ashram was his
laboratory of education. In Ashrami education system, the education for comprehensive
development of children isimparted through co-curricular activities like community life, mass
prayer, common dinner, physical exercise, team works, games and sports, assignment
(homework), cultural programmes, celebration of special days, and creative programmes.

Ashrami (residential) education is necessary in Basic Education. Children arise in the early
morning, complete their routine work and recite collective all religions prayer. Collective prayer is
recited in the evening, too, at the hostel. Collective (mass) prayer programme is inevitably
implemented in school also. This helps cultivating values like spiritual values, non-indulgence in
taste, non-stealing (not using more than ones needs), non-violence, outlook of equality towards all
religions, honesty, holiness, peace in children.

During hostel residence children take up various activities in various teams or collectively. These
include room cleaning, ground cleaning, dining hall cleaning, toilet and urinal cleaning, fetching
water, cooking activities, corn cleaning, watering plants, besides their own (personal) activities
like washing clothes, taking both etc. In short, training of all the functions related to life is
imparted in basic education system. Due to this, values like cleanliness, self-reliance, labour, team
spirit, co-operation, endurance power, loyalty, good conduct, honesty, duty observance
(discipline), obedience, time-keeping, truthfulness, simplicity, restraint (control of the senses) are
naturally developed in children. Exercises, games and sports related to physical education are also
organised with a view to developing health related values in children.

In basic education, various celebrations such as national festivals, birth anniversary, death
anniversary, parents (guardians) day, self-education day, environment day, world population day
and such other days are celebrated. Cultural programmes are organised on such occasions.
Moreover, creative programmes given by Gandhiji such as village cleaning, prevention of
untouchability, communal unity, prohibition (of alcoholic drinks) Khadi activities, adult education,
women uplift, health education, nursing of lepers, addiction relief, etc. are celebrated in basic
schools as well as in community and hostels. All these help developing moral values, spiritual
values, social values, national values, cultural values and individual values naturally among
children. Thus basic education is such a medium through which values useful for life are naturally
developed among children.

Dr. Sitaram P Deshmukh , Assistant Professor, Shikshan Mahavidyalaya, Gujarat

Vidyapeeth, Ahmedabad.

Innovation and renewal are required to keep a laboratory

on the frontiers of science. ~ Burton Richter

NCRI 26 March 2010