Question- Explain the Aim and Ideal of Education according to M.K. Gandhi ?

Answer -

"Aims and Ideals of Education of M. K. Gandhi"

1. Drawing out the Basic : Elaborating his views about the aims of education, Gandhiji has said, "By education I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man, mind and spirit. Literacy is not the end of education, not even the beginning. Literacy in itself is no education."

2. Livelihood : Gandhiji was highly critical of the education policy implemented by British government. In his opinion, the aim of education is self-dependence, and as much education must enable every girl and boy to develop the ability to depend upon himself or herself. As he himself puts it. "This education ought to be for them a kind of insurance against unemployment." That is why Gandhiji placed so much emphasis upon industrial training in his own plan for basic education which was intended to acquaint the child with real life.

3. Character oriented education : Like Rousseau, Gandhiji also believed in paidocentric education, that is, education which centres around the child. He impressed upon people that the cultural aspect of education was far more important than its literary aspect, because it is through the cultural aspect that the child learns conduct and ideas and develops his character and ideals. Gandhiji remarked "True education is that which draws out and stimulates the spiritual, intellectual and physical faculties of the children."

4. Complete Development : It is clear from the foregoing account that Gandhiji viewed education from a comprehensive or broadminded standpoint. Any education that develops only one aspect of a child's personality can will be dubbed narrow and one-sided. And it is just such an education which has been the bone of our culture. Education must aim at developing the child's personality instead of limiting itself to providing the child with bits and pieces of information. Gandhiji has made a distinction between the immediate and long-term aims of education, suggesting that such aims as getting certificates of merits or degrees or obtaining education for livelihood should be considered the immediate aims. But the final aim of education must make the individual to live and earn his daily bread.

   "I value individual freedom, but you must not forget that man is essentially a social being. He has risen to his present status by learning to adjust his individuality to the requirements of social progress."

5. Synthesis of Individual and Social Aims : In this way, Gandhiji synthesized the individual and social aims of education. He did not restrict education to the achievement of any one single aim. He looked to the process of education from various perspectives. Therefore, he assigned different aims to education at different times, so much so that sometimes these different elements seemed mutually contradictory and even self-defeating.

6. Stressed on All-round Growth : In the history of education, different educationists have defined the ideals of education in different ways.Most educationists have, however, felt that the aim of education is an integral development of human personality. Like Vivekananda, Gandhiji maintained that character formation and manual skill were equally important. On the one hand, he wanted the child to earn while he learns. On the other hand, he also wanted the child to develop his character. According to him, the criterion of an individual’s cultural development is not the width of his knowledge but his inner growth. Gandhiji’s plan of education laid stress upon all types of education - physical, psychological, moral, aesthetic and religious.

7. Self-Reliance : As has already been pointed out, Gandhiji aimed at self-reliance through education. Therefore, he visualised a craft-centred education. Explaining his scheme of Basic Education as an insurance against unemployment in India, Gandhiji said, "The child at the age of 14, that is, after finishing a seven year course should be discouraged as an earning unit. You impart education and simultaneously cut at the root of unemployment."

8. Democratic Ideals : Like his contemporary Indian educationists, Gandhiji aimed at the evolution of democratic ideals through education. His basic plan of education amply demonstrates this fact. He aimed at an education for ideal citizenship. Education, according to him, should make children ideal members of a democratic society. The school, according to Gandhiji, is itself a small democratic society in which such democratic values are imparted to the children as wide outlook, tolerance and good neighbourhood. Therefore, if the country has to progress, the future generation should develop the virtues of democratic citizenships. As Gandhiji said, "A nation cannot advance without the units of which it is composed advancing, and conversely, no individual can advance without the nation of which it is a part also advancing."

9. Stress on Moral and Spiritual Knowledge : All knowledge is useless without a good character in his speeches to the students at various institutions. Gandhiji laid emphasis upon the moral and spiritual aims of education. Emphasising the moral aim of education, Gandhiji said, "The end of all knowledge must be the building up to character." Character building is the moral ideal of education. His ideals in this connection were as much in agreement with the ancient Indian thinkers as with contemporary Western thinkers like Emerson, Ruskin, etc., Gandhiji very much admired the Indian Gurukula system of education and the ideal of Brahmacharya. According to ancient Indian ideal, education aims at liberation. This was also the aim of Gujarat Vidyapeeth established by Gandhiji in 1929. Gandhiji, however, defined liberation in a very wide sense, including political, social and economic liberation of all the members of society. Real freedom is spiritual freedom. To attain this freedom is the task of education. Again, education equally aims at intellectual, economic and political uplift, though its chief aim is moral and spiritual. Condemning the widespread indiscipline among the students, Gandhiji asked them to follow the ideal of Brahmacharya.

10. Theory of God-Realization : According to Indian philosophy, the ultimate end of all knowledge is God-realization. This God-realization again, is the meaning of self-realization which has been considered to be the ideal of education by most of the educational philosophers in East and West. Agreeing with this line of thinking Gandhiji maintained that a student should live a life of Sanyasi. God-realization and self-realization are mutually complementary, the one leads to the other.
    
    The spiritual ideal of education does not negate immediate ideals but fulfils them. In the words of Gandhiji, "Self-realization is in itself an all comprehensive ideal." He pondered over the difficulties of the present day Indian society and tried to find out their solution through education. His educational philosophy is based upon ancient Indian idealism.

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