Question- Explain Gandhian concept of Education with regard to ‘Sarvodaya’.

Or
In spite of all kinds of idealism, Gandhiji’s approach everywhere was pragmatic.
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"Gandhiji planned for Basic education and stressed on removal of burden upon the parents of students." Submit your comments.
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Describe the basic tenets of basic education.
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"Basic education was the greatest gift of Mahatma Gandhi." Comment.
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Discuss about the present relevance of Basic Education.
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Discuss in brief the Mahatma Gandhi’s "Basic Education".

Answer -

Introduction

Gandhiji was very much aware of the needs of the country and considered Basic Education as the only type of education which may as such lead to success. India is a country of villages. Most of the villagers in India cannot afford to pay for their children’s education. He laid stress upon the importance of dignity of labour and manual skill. He was convinced that an education which prepares the young men for white-collar jobs can hardly be suitable for an agriculture community. Hence, forth, he has much emphasized the learning of craft in his plan of Basic Education. For him all human truths were relatives. God was the only absolute. Therefore, he tested everything before suggesting it for the education of the child. Like the pragmatists and instrumentalists, Gandhiji stressed the importance of interests and activity and the need for variety in the subjects taught to the educand.

Sarvodaya Society : The social philosophy of M.K. Gandhi may be termed as ‘Sarvodaya’. This was the foundation of his philosophy of education. Sarvodaya aims at all-round development of all, without distinction of caste, creed, sex and nationality. Gandhiji wanted to establish a welfare state in India which he called ‘Ram Rajya.’ The ideal of Sarvodaya does not aim at the maximum number but maximum good of all without exceptions. While Marx aimed at the welfare of the proletariat, Gandhiji aimed even at the welfare of the capitalist. According to Vinoba Bhave, the important characteristics of the Sarvodaya Society are the abolition of all monopoly, emphasis on social welfare and equal, moral, social and economic importance of honest work. There is no place for any type of exploitation in Sarvodaya Society. No one may be forced to do a certain type of work, so much so that even the wealth of the capitalist cannot be forcibly snatched away. Centralization, according to Gandhiji, is the chief source of social evils. Sarvodaya requires decentralization. Gandhiji aimed at political, economic, social and all other types of decentralization. In the political field, decentralization requires establishment of village panchayats.

Nai Talim : In order to achieve the above mentioned aims of Sarvodaya in India, Gandhiji presented his plan of Basic Education. He called it Nai Talim (New Education) because it sought to build up a new society in the country. He realized that what the country needs today, is not so much higher education as the education of the masses. Therefore, he did not lay so much emphasis upon higher education.

The Basic Education sought to fulfill the needs of the educands in a Sarvodaya Society. It is hence that Gandhiji planned for craft-centred education with mother-tongue as the medium. Literacy, according to him, is not an end but only a means of education. The syllabi for the new education were framed in such a way so as to eliminate narrow nationalism and emphasize the ideal of Sarvodaya. World history was taught along with Indian history. Similarly, the syllabus included the study of fundamental universal ethics. The cost of education was brought down by compulsory manual labour and education was tried to be made self-sufficient as far as possible.

Social Revolution : Pointing out the value of basic education for bringing about a silent social revolution in the country, Gandhiji said, "It will provide a healthy and moral basis of relationship between the city and the village and thus go a long way towards eradicating some of the worst evils of the present social insecurity and poisoned relationship between the classes. It will check the progressive decay of our villages and lay the foundation of a just social order in which there is no unnatural division between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ and everybody is assured of a living wage and the right of freedom. And all this would be accomplished without the horrors of a bloody class war or a social capital expenditure such as would be involved in the mechanisation of a vast continent like India."

Non-Violent Education : As has been already pointed out Gandhiji emphasized the principle of non-violence in every field of life. He considered non-violence as the characteristic human quality. He said, "Non-violence is the law of our species as violence is the law of brutes." Even truth was subordinate to non-violence. Gandhiji said, "One had better not speak it (truth) if one cannot do so in a gentle way." To those who doubted the value of non-violence to be the principle of human social organization, Gandhiji pointed out, "The fact that there are so many men still alive in the world shows that it is based not on force of arms but on the force of truth and love."

This principle of non-violence, Gandhiji used in every aspect of education, so much so that his theory of education may be called non-violence education. Explaining his idea he wrote, "If India has resolved to eschew violence, this system of education becomes an integral part of the discipline she has to go through. We must remember that all wealth is obtained through exploitation. Thus, according to Gandhiji, India can play her role in the community of nations only by adopting the gospel of non-violence To quote Gandhiji again, "Good brought about through force destroyed individuality. Only when the change was effected through the persuasive power of non-violent non-cooperation (i.e., love), could the foundation of individuality be preserved and real, abiding progress be assured for the world."

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