Orissa Review  *  September - October -  2006
                         Mahatma Gandhi's Contribution to Education
                                                                                                              Dinabandhu Dehury
                      India's recorded and unrecorded culture and                violence and corruption are at its zenith, and more
                      civilization are rare features in the course of world      than one third of our population lives below the
                      history. Today, along with modernization, it is very       poverty line, it is indeed tempting to muse over
                      much a part of our living culture, at every level of       the relevance of Gandhiji's contribution to
                      the society, as well as a documented testimony             education as well as his model of basic education,
                      to the greatest strength of education, which               incorporating his philosophy, approach and
                      catapulted the Indian Civilisation to its zenith.          strategy.
                      Perhaps few other cultures                                                       His Contributions :
                      and civilizations have                                                                 Gandhiji's model was
                      produced such courageous,                                                        not only holistic and practical,
                      saintly and visionary role                                                       it was highly decentralized
                      models such as                                                                   and integrated, with a
                      Radhakrishnan,  Sri                                                              demonstrated capacity to
                      Aurobindo,  Swami                                                                motivate the entire
                      Vivekananda, Mira Bai, Rani                                                      community and place
                      of Jhansi, Netaji Subas                                                          responsibility  and
                      Chandra Bose,  Rabindra                                                          accountability at the
                      Nath Tagore, Sant Kabir,                                                         community level versus the
                      Sant Ram Das, Mahatma                                                            State. To highlight just a few
                      Gandhi, to name a few.                                                           of his contributions.
                             Gandhiji influenced the lives of our                An Investment in Human Capital :
                      countrymen for more than half a century. His
                      approach to most issues was down-to-earth and                     On economic, political and military
                      holistic-be it social, cultural, economic, health or       grounds, India was of first rate importance to the
                      education. His philosophies were pragmatic and             British and education was the instrument by which
                      farsighted. The villager was the centre of his             they sought to maintain and strengthen their
                      economic thought. His warnings against the British         domination by experimenting with a unique model
                      Education system were prophetic. Today, when               of educating an elite through a foreign language.
                      Indian illiteracy rate stands at 34.62%, crime,            However, contrary to the popular belief, English
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                                                  Orissa Review  *  September - October -  2006
                      education was not forced on the Indians (Basu,          factories and shops. The work done at home
                      1978). Rich Indian citizens had actively come           offered lifelong educational, socialization,
                      forward in setting up the system as the only way        communication and vocational benefits to the
                      to modernize their society. So much time was            family members. It kept unemployment and crime
                      spent in mastering English language by the Indian       rates low. The spirit of cooperation and respect
                      School boys that the main purpose of education          prevailed, which is what Gandhiji tried to revive
                      was missed. The premium on rate learning and            in his model.
                      examinations was so high, that the growth of            Concrete Definition to Aims, Goals and
                      inquisitiveness and an experimental bent of mind,       Objectives of Education :
                      so necessary for economic development, were                    If education is the foundation of all growth
                      not cultivated. But more important was an invisible     and progress, then aims, goals and objectives are
                      and quite change in attitudes and values of viewing     the four interconnected and most significant
                      education as a social welfare activity for girls and    components that gives direction to educational
                      an investment for boys (Dhawan, 1995; Naik,             outcomes through the curricular content, syllabus
                      1982; Krishna Raj, 1982). As an outcome, the            and evaluations. These four components are highly
                      system concentrated on a centralized and uniform        influenced by four interconnected foundation
                      higher education.                                       blocks namely, epistemology (the nature of
                            Since the system of education had little use      knowledge), society/culture, the individual, and
                      for the masses, there were inadequate facilities        learning theories (Zais, 1976). But since aims,
                      for children aged between 6-11 years as well as         goals,  and objectives, collectively as a component
                      poor enrolment. In many ways the situation hurt         of curriculum provide direction and focus for the
                      the girls more than the boys. Gandhiji, who viewed      entire education programme, they are particularly
                      education as an investment in human capital,            sensitive to these four fundamental forces.
                      warned against this system because it disorganized             It was Gandhiji, who in 1937 first
                      villagers, made them helpless and paralyzed and         recognized the interconnectedness of the eight
                      steadily sunk them into poverty, unemployment           curricular forces and questioned the futility of the
                      and despair (Gandhiji, 1937). Instead, productive       British education system. Based on his wisdom
                      skills were the focus of his Nai Talim (Basic           and successful experiments with education in
                      Education), providing food, shelter and clothing        South Africa, he put forth a Basic Education Plan
                      as the three basic essentials for human survival        which had the merit of achieving one aim of peace
                      and security.                                           and freedom, for which all mankind yearns today.
                            Given the impact of radical changes in            Also, recognizing the futility of a centralized plan
                      Societies the world over, brought about by the          and control in implementing programmes, he also
                      Industrial Revolution, Gandhiji's Philosophy of         outlined a comprehensive but decentralized model
                      education was based on his findings derived from        to be implemented by the village Republics. The
                                                                              vital objective of his model was to develop
                      scientific research of theories of economic,            productive and social skills among the masses.
                      political and child development (both Western and       To the centre, remained the overall responsibilities
                      Oriental), and his successful experiments in South      of coordinating and guiding the work of the states
                      Africa. One of those radical changes was the            so that national policies could evolve from the
                      removal of manufacture from households into             grassroots.
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                                                Orissa Review  *  September - October -  2006
                           After two years of work on Basic                cause. His eclectic model was proposed to serve
                     Education, a Conference was organized in              as a guideline for formulating a new policy. Its
                     Jamianagar, Delhi, in the year 1941. Various          implementation, management and finances were
                     reports on the working of basic schools run by        to be entirely vested with the panchayats and local
                     the governments, local bodies, and by private         bodies.
                     enterprise throughout the country were almost                The six main features of his eclectic model
                     unanimous in their assesment that general             incorporating his philosophy, approach and
                     standards of health and behaviour as well as          strategy are : 1. Basic Philosophy, 2. Aims and
                     intellectual attainment were very encouraging.        Goals, 3. The Five Stages, 4. Programme of
                     Compared to the English Medium Schools, the           Work, 5. Implementation Strategy, 6. Standard
                     Children in Basic Schools were more active,           of Attainment.
                     cheerful, self-reliant, with well-developed power     The Basic Philosophy
                     of self-expression. They were found to be
                     acquiring habits of co-operative work and social      (a)    True education is all-round development
                     prejudices were breaking down.                        of the faculties, best attained through action. It
                           Five other equally significant contributions    bases itself  on the fact that knowledge and
                     to education include (1) an age appropriate and       understanding develop in relation to problems set
                     realistic curriculum focusing on social, productive   right by action. Information thrust on the mind only
                     and academic skills, (2) a highly adequate and        burdens the memory and causes intellectual
                     effective teacher training programme, (3) keeping     indigestion, casting learning into oblivion.
                     the financing of  education at bay so that the local  (b)    Education must be concrete and inter
                     community could raise and manage the finance          connected, not abstract or given in isolated
                     judiciously, simultaneously providing for             sections. Concrete education allows the learner
                     international standards in education; (4) leaving     to manipulate problems or sets of problems and
                     little or no scope for adult illiteracy, unemployment study their relationships, character and artistic
                     or child labour; and (5) provide for international    sense. It allows the mind, heart, hand and eyes to
                     standards in health and manageable levels of          work simultaneously in a correlated manner,
                     population, again by placing the responsibility and   resulting in a harmonious and well-balanced
                     accountability at the hands of the local community.   personality.
                     All this and much more he achieved through his        (c)    Education must be imparted in the child's
                     model.                                                mother tongue and organically connected with the
                     The Eclectic Model :                                  child's Social and Cultural environment.
                           The second focus of the paper is Gandhiji's     Aims and Goals :
                     proposed and tested alternative for human             (a)    All boys and girls in India should grow up
                     security which is tangible, attainable, inexpensive,  to seek truth and peace.
                     indigenous and sustainable and an insulation
                     against poverty, inequality and its allied problems.  (b)    All children should grow up as citizens in a
                     Since a compartmentalized approach does not           new social order, based on Co-operative work
                     address the cause, Gandhiji's alternative was most    and with the understanding of their rights,
                     comprehensive and integrated to address the           responsibilities and obligations in such a society.
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                                                  Orissa Review  *  September - October -  2006
                      (c)   Every individual child should have full           (d)    Secondary Education -  education through
                      opportunity for the balanced and harmonious             self-sufficiency or vocational education of four
                      development of all his/her faculties and should         years duration, with the same curricular contents
                      acquire the capacity for self-reliance in every         for adolescent boys and girls in the age group of
                      aspect of a clean, healthy and cultured life, together  15-18, irrespective of their caste or class. It must
                      with an understanding of the social, political and      provide for a great range of productive activities
                      moral implications of such a life.                      to support the community and provide the basis
                      (d)   Each individual must develop "a scientific        for sound and well-organized knowledge.
                      attitude of mind". It means a clean intellectual        (e)    Tertiary Education - It should either lead
                      curiosity to know the "how" and "why" of things;        to the responsibilities of adult family life or some
                      the patience detachment to test all phenomena,          form of professional training in the university.
                      all ideas and all traditions by the standards of truth; Programme of Work
                      the courage and power to think for oneself; the                There are five fundamental activities around
                      intellectual and moral authority to abide by all the    which the programme of work for adult
                      facts.                                                  education,  pre-school education,  primary
                      The Five Stages :                                       education and  secondary education are
                                                                              recommended.
                      (a)   Adult  Education - involvement of                 (a)    Clean and Healthy Living to focus on
                      educated parents (with productive skills) and the       personal and social habits and attitudes of health,
                      community for a happy, healthy, clean and self-         cleanliness and hygiene towards self and
                      reliant life. An educated adult's participation is      community; practical skills to carry out all types
                      closely connected to the success of pre-school,         of proper cleaning and sanitation work efficiently.
                      primary and secondary education.                        (b)    Self-Reliance to focus on economic self-
                      (b)   Pre-School Education -  for children              support for its own sake and for character
                      under-7, both boys and girls, to develop their          training.
                      faculties conducted by School teachers in               (c)    Productive Basic Craftsto focus on three
                      cooperation with the parents and the community.         most suited crafts for children by age for
                      It includes physical nurture, medical care, personal    developing intelligence and general knowledge.
                      cleanliness and health, community cleanliness and       The three basic crafts are the main centre of
                      health, self-help, social training, creative activities correlation for the "core subjects" of language,
                      in work and play for the acquisition of basic           mathematics, general science and social science.
                      concepts, speech training, development of               (d)    Citizenship in Community to focus on
                      mathematical sense, nature study, art and music         developing habits and attitudes of  cooperation
                      and spiritual development.                              and neighbourliness at home, at school and in the
                      (c)   Primary Education- education for self-            community.
                      sufficiency, of eight years duration for children  in   (e)    Recreational and Cultural Activities to
                      the age group of  7-15, with the same subjects          focus on games, dance, music, drama, festivals
                      and curricular contents for both boys and girls,        relating to social, religious, historical and  national
                      irrespective of their caste or class.                   significance.
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