Gandhi On Value Education
Mahatma Gandhi’s name requires no introduction because of his invaluable contribution to the national liberation
movement of India. It was he who awakening crores of people on the strength of non-violent activities, engaging them to
an action, challenging the mighty empire of the world, ultimately threw the yoke of slavery.
Those who believed that not a single country in the world history had achieved its freedom except by violent means, the
action of Mahatma Gandhi compelled them to re-think and also to change their mentality. His reputation as a true
nationalist as well as an internationalist shines like sun itself, but in the academic sense of term, he is not
considered a great scholar or an educationist.
We have not been enlightened by his views on education or on the problems relating to it, through any particular book
written by him. Even there is no special research article available, which could have given us a glimpse of his ideas or
suggestions on education system, except his occasional articles on the future of education in India written in a very
simple and light manner. The same thing applies to the views he expressed on the subject now and then.
Despite this fact, the few articles that Mahatma Gandhi has written in the simplest manner, and the views he expressed
on education as a common man are of utmost importance; they provide us a guide line to proceed towards value education.
Not only this, if we apply them even in the modern perspective, they can, definitely, give a new dimension to our
education system.
Mahatma Gandhi once said:
“Education means all-round drawing out of the best in child and man – body, mind and spirit.”
As such, education becomes the basis of personality development on all dimensions – moral, mental and emotional.
Therefore, we can say that in the long run education forms the foundations on which the castles of peace and prosperity
can be built. Since ancient times, it is said “SA VIDYA YA VIMUKTAYE”, which means that with education we finally attain
salvation.
This small Samskrit phrase essentially contains the thought and essence of Value Education that is relevant in all
perspectives. This very concept, when applied to the simple but refined approach of Mahatma Gandhi, can provide us with
a new dimension of educational development. As such, while analyzing the views of Mahatma Gandhi, we can observe his
views under two main points:
A. Morality and Ethics:
Moral and ethical knowledge is the first point on which Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of value education is based. Any
education system that lacks these two cannot be termed as good. The reason behind such a thought is that, without
morality and without ethics, no student, in real sense, can be considered to be healthy in mental and physical terms,
because for it, self-control and good character is essential. A person, who is not a moralist and who does not
differentiate between right and wrong, cannot rise to the essential level of a true student. Then, the attainment of
spiritual growth that has been described by Mahatma Gandhi, as an essential part of education, can only be gained
through morality and ethics. Seeing it through another viewpoint also proves the same thing because when we consider
education as a means of attaining salvation and also as a support on the pathway to liberation, then we cannot
differentiate it from Spiritualism.
Mahatma Gandhi laid down some rules for students so as to ensure that morality and righteousness always be considered as
an essential and undifferentiable part of education so that every student shall gain in terms of knowledge and
spirituality. He said that on one hand where students should gain education under the strict regimen of high morals,
self-control and right thinking, on the other they would also be expected to provide service to the society in general.
This includes their respect towards mother, father, teachers and elders, adorations towards younger, following of social
traditions and constant awareness towards their duties and responsibilities.
In order to strengthen morality and ethics in students, Mahatma Gandhi advocated the introduction of religious
education. This kind of education brings the values of forbearance, tolerance and reverence in one’s character. And in
turn, these values are an indivisible part of ethics. Explaining the importance and need of religious education, Mahatma
Gandhi writes in the ‘Young India’ of 6th of December 1923:
“A curriculum of religious instructions should include a study of the tenets of faiths other than one’s own. For this
purpose the students should be trained to cultivate the habit of understanding and appreciating the doctrine of various
great religions of the world in a spirit of reverence and broad minded tolerance.”
Mahatma Gandhi calls upon all teachers to impart proper education of morality and ethics to students both at school and
college levels. In this regard suggesting some guidelines for teachers, he says that it is the duty of teachers to
develop high morals and strong character of their students. If teachers fail to do so, it means that they depart from
their social and national responsibilities and as such they are also insincere towards their noble profession. He said
that a teacher should lay an example, to be followed, before society and students. This can only be done when he himself
leads his life with high standards of morality and strong character. An ideal teacher should be free from any addiction.
He needs to be polite and should set an ideal example of simple living and high thinking. He should also remember that
wasting time is a sin; therefore, he should be aware of his duties towards students and society. Moreover, he should
have a good reputation in the society. Therefore, it is the foremost duty of students, as well as of teachers to make it
certain that moral and ethical knowledge continues to be the integral part of the education process. By doing so, they
can contribute in the development of Value Education.
B. Buniyadi [Basic], Job-oriented or Technical Education:
Another important point of Mahatma Gandhi’s value education is basic or technical education. No matter if the word
‘buniyadi’ [or basic], which Mahatma Gandhi used during the 3rd and 4th decade of 20eth century, meant the knowledge or
education that could help rural people in promotion of village handicrafts or to establish cottage industries, the
ultimate purpose behind his attempt was to make young men and women self-reliant in the economic field.
Even in modern perspective, his idea of buniyadi or basic education is well-worthy and it has no clash with the concept
of today’s job-oriented or technical education.
In fact, Mahatma Gandhi wants to prepare a student for technical knowledge right from the days of his primary level of
education. In this regard, his logic is not only important but adaptable; it can prove to be a mile stone in the
direction of value education.
It is not so that Mahatma Gandhi has not talked of all-round or complete education on different occasions. He definitely
spoke of imparting education based on curriculum; he, more or less wrote about graduate and post graduate levels of
education. Not only this, as I have just discussed, he laid emphasis on moral and ethical knowledge, which is helpful
for character building and for the physical and mental development of a student since the very beginning of his
education. He clearly believed that without a healthy body, mind could not be developed fully. But even after that he,
without any hesitation, said that until and unless education makes a young man or woman self-reliant, it is of no value.
It is but obvious that when a child starts his formal education, he enters at primary level and, step by step, at an age
of twenty or twenty-two, he graduates from a University. And after so many years, if he does not find a necessary goal
or if he lacks a direction to begin with his career, then what could be the use of such education. What is the use of
the degree for him that he has in his hand?
Reality lies in the fact that after obtaining a degree the students should definitely have a clear direction for their
future; they should have no doubt towards their future goal They should be full of self-confidence. Side by side, they
should be self-dependent and capable to tackle unavoidable day to day problems. They must not be worried for a suitable
job.
But in reality, these days we see that our younger generation is directionless. Our youths are diverted and a feeling of
helplessness and dejection is prevailing on them. According to a survey, there are millions of men and women who, even
after completing their studies at graduation, post graduation and doctorate levels, fail to seek an employment of their
choice. Is it not a failure of our social and educational system?
Even after spending the golden years of one’s life in attaining higher education, our youths are not self-dependant. As
such how would they be able to get rid of their day to day problems and how would they contribute to their society and
the nation? Therefore, it is a challenge not only before the youths of this country but also before the educationists,
scholars and those in the government.
To tackle this problematic challenge, Mahatma Gandhi’s views can be of great support. In this reference, he has given us
his golden words that there is a need of result-oriented education. He said that every child has some special qualities
that can also be termed as inherited traits of personality, so at the very primary level, a student’s quality and worth
should be identified by his teacher. A student should gain education according to curriculum and moral guidance and as
such also improve his physical strength. But the teacher should watch and identify his quality that could be of help in
his later life.
For that purpose it is necessary that after completing studies to a certain level, he must, in addition to above three
kind of education-general [according to syllabi], moral and physical- be provided facilities to gain technical knowledge
in accordance with the special trait that has already been identified in his personality by his teacher. Since by nature
he has interest in that knowledge, he will easily gain it; he will become an adept in that. Now, when he completes his
study up to graduate level and with this extra knowledge comes out of a college or university, he would have a
direction. As such, even if he does not get a private or government job, he would manage to get through some sort of
self-employment on the basis of his technical knowledge. At least, then, his education would be considered as
result-oriented.
This indeed is Mahatma Gandhi’s view-point pertaining to Value Education if applied in a wider perspective. Its worth
lies in the fact that education should necessarily be helpful in employment and its foundations should be laid on
morality and ethics. We all who are concerned with it need to think over it deeply. We have to apply Mahatma Gandhi’s
ideas according to present circumstances of our country and also as the demand of time. I can again say that Mahatma
Gandhi’s unique and refined views about value education are not only important but are worth applying not only in India
but also in the rest of the world.
ENDS