Nature, Scope and Aim of Education

According to Radhakrishnan, ‘education is the process by which we conserve valuable elements in our culture and discard the wasteful. It is both, a stabilizing influence and in agent for change. By means of it we help the young to become good citizens of the country. What is simpler societies was done by the family, the religious, political and social institution, has to be done by educational institutions today.

            … We learn from the teacher, by ourselves, from one another and from the life of experience. Education is not always formal. Experience is a great teacher. We learn daily and hourly from our home, from our community, from the press, the radio, the television and the films. ‘All life is experience and therefore education.’

            …Basic education is nothing but an attempt to avoid mere book learning and adopt learning by doing. Teaching centres round craft, agriculture, spinning and weaving, gardening, carpentry, leather-work, cooking, sewing and so forth. The subjects taught are integrated with a central craft. It tries to bring the pupils into close touch with the daily life of the people. It gives importance to physical education. Since body is the vehicle of expression for the human being, it should be carefully trained.

            … whatever subjects students try to study, they should penetrate into and find out the roots of it. Because jnana without viveka is nothing : na viveka vina jnanam; without discrimination, without a sense of right and wrong, we may be called educated but our life will be degraded and unilluminated. It is therefore essential that at first we should try to find out what real education means?

            Every human being as a streak of violence under-earth his senses, which makes him rabid, which makes him revolt. The beast in you will have to be overcome if you wish to call yourself a truly educated man.

            “So the meaning of education”, says Radhakrishnan, “is to emancipate the individual. By means of education you get the life eternal. You get freedom… If you are a truly educated individual, if you are truly emancipated, the suffering of every individual will hurt you as if it was your own suffering. Your heart should become as naked as a never itself, and it must respond to the sufferings of other people. That is what we mean by education. Education must make you civil in your behavior. Whatever faults you have tried to correct them. But so far as other people are concerned, try to understand the position in which they happen to be charitable.”

 …Education is incomplete if we do  not endow the pupils with a purpose. In our country, vimarsa-rupin; vidya; vidyaya amartamanute. Er. Franchisement of the mind, freedom from prejudice and fanaticism and courage are essential. Moral and spiritual training should be an essential part of education.

…The Process of national integration, that we talk about, is a continuous process. It is never finished.We must try to bring about national unity and national integration. These are the ideals which we should aim at in education….

From:- Educational Philosophy of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan