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Gandhian Philosophy of Education in Twenty-first Century

Anurag Gangal* and Renu Gangal*

Mahatma Gandhi is known as a practical-idealist. His own experiences and
process of formation of his precepts form the basis of all his activities and ideas. His
ideas and philosophy is drawn from various Indian and foreign sources. As such, his
unflinching faith in the power of nonviolence comes to him from Leo Tolstoys writings,
Jain and Buddhist scriptures. Gandhis views and practice of civil disobedience are based
on David Thoreaus writings and the familial environ in which Gandhi lived as a child.
The Gandhian vision of Sarvodaya is, among others, built upon his reading of John
Ruskins Unto this Last where the philosophy of welfare of all is presented in a very
engrossing manner. Gandhi, indeed, has had an open mind, independent thinking and an
interdependent life style or way of life. His life is his message and it is replete with
philosophical landmarks in the area of education for modern age of knowledge,
information technology and globalisation.
Gandhian philosophy of education revolves around a few fundamental contours.
These, apparently, are basic philosophical perspectives with an element of timelessness
attached to them.
Consistency and Contradiction
The first aspect relates to the Gandhian principle -- dialectics of consistency and
contradiction in the growth and development of an individual, a nation and an
international federation. This principle applies at all levels equally alike. In Mahatma
Gandhis own words:
I would like to say to the diligent reader of my writings and to others
who are interested in them that I am not at all concerned with appearing to be
consistent. In my search after Truth I have discarded many ideas and learnt many
new things. Old as I am in age, I have no feeling that I have ceased to grow
inwardly or that my growth will stop at the dissolution of the flesh. What I am
concerned, with is my readiness to obey the call of Truth, my God, from moment
to moment, and, therefore, when anybody finds any inconsistency between any
two writings of mine, if he has still faith in my sanity, he would do well to
choose the later of the two on the same subject. (Harijan, 29-4-1933, P. 2).



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Nai Taleem or Basic Education
Second feature of Gandhian philosophy of education concerns Gandhis stress on
his New or Basic Education in 3Rs reading, writing and arithmetic along with the
principle of learning and earning through regular practice including extra-curricular
activities for children, adolescents, youth and adults alike. Gandhis experiments in his
Tolstoy Farm -- at Phoenix in South Africa in 1904 - 1913 -- are replete with this feature
of basic education involving daily manual work and vocational training also (Gandhi, An
Autobiography or The Story of my Experiments with Truth, Part III, Chapter V; Part IV, Chapters
XIX XXIII and XXXII; Harijan, 18 September 1937). Hygiene; manual work; learning and
earning; extra curricular activities; reading, writing and arithmetic; vocational training;
and character building are to be given top priority. The essence of this philosophy of
education rests in self-sufficiency, confidence and character building of an individual and
the nation alike. One must begin from the smallest unit of humanity.
Constructive Programme
Another significant facet of Gandhian philosophy of education is seen in his
Constructive Programme and also in his magnum opus, namely, Hind Swaraj or Indian
Home Rule. In his Constructive Programme, Gandhi lays focus on discipline of a civil
disobedient nonviolent soldier, communal unity, removal of untouchability, training for
promotion of khadi and other village industries, village sanitation, adult education,
women as equal partners, economic equality, patriotism, prohibition, bravery and
honesty.
Eleven Vows
Gandhi points out eleven vows as absolutely necessary rudiments for proper
education in ethical values, imbibing Indian culture, personality development and
character building. He has taken up these so-called eleven commandments from
Patanjalis ancient work Yogapradeepta. These eleven vows are satya (truth), ahimsa
(nonviolence), asteya (non-stealing), aparigraha (non-possession), brahmcharya
(selfcontrol, self-discipline and celibacy), sharirshrama (bread-labour), aswada (palate
control), sarvtra bhayavarjana (fearlessness and bravery), sarva dharma samantva
(equality of all religions), swadeshi (using locally available resources and produced
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goods), sparsha bhavana (removal of untouchability). The first five vows, among these
eleven, are also known as the panchyama of Patanjali.
Home Rule and Education
In Hind Swaraj, Gandhi provides a vehement criticism of modern Western
civilisation, education and massive industrialisation. About education, especially Chapter
XVIII entitled Education, he says:
What is the meaning of education? It simply means a knowledge of
letters. It is merely an instrument, and an instrument may be well used or abused.
The same instrument that may be used to cure a patient may be used to take his
life, and so may a knowledge of letters. We daily observe that many men abuse it
and very few make good use of it; and if this is a correct statement, we have
proved that more harm has been done by it than good.
The ordinary meaning of education is a knowledge of letters. To teach
boys reading, writing and arithmetic is called primary education. A peasant earns
his bread honestly. He has ordinary knowledge of the world. He knows fairly
well how he should behave towards his parents. his wife, his children and his
fellow villagers. He understands and observes the rules of morality. But he
cannot write his own name. What do you propose to do by giving him a
knowledge of letters? Will you add an inch to his happiness? Do you wish to
make him discontented with his cottage or his tot? And even if you want to do
that, he will not need such an education. Carried away by the flood of western
thought we came to the conclusion, without weighing pros and cons, that we
should give this kind of education to the people.
Now let us take higher education. I have learned Geography, Astronomy,
Algebra, Geometry, etc. What of that? In what way have I benefited myself or
those around me? Why have I learned these things? Professor Huxley has thus
defined education: "That man I think has had a liberal education who has been so
trained in youth that his body is the ready servant of his will and does with case
and pleasure all the work that as a mechanism it is capable of, whose intellect is a
clear, cold, logic engine with all its parts of equal strength and in smooth working
order ... whose mind is stored with a knowledge of the fundamental truths of
nature .... whose passions are trained to conic to heel by a vigorous will, the
servant of a tender conscience ... who has learnt to hate all vileness and to respect
others as himself. Such a one and no other, I conceive, has had a liberal
education, for he is in harmony with nature. He will make the best of her and she
of him."
If this is true education, I must emphatically say that the sciences I have
enumerated above I have never been able to use for controlling my senses.
Therefore, whether you take elementary education or higher education, it is not
required for the main thing. It does not make men of us. It does not enable us to
do our duty.
Moreover, I have not run down a knowledge of letters in all
circumstances. All I have now shown is that we must not make of it a fetish In
its place it can be of use and it has its place when we have brought our senses
under subjection and put our ethics on a firm foundation. And then, if we feel
inclined to receive that education, we may make good use of it. As an ornament it
is likely to sit well on us. It now follows that it is not necessary to make this
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education compulsory. Our ancient school system is enough. Character-building
has the first place in it and that is primary education. A building erected on that
foundation will last.
And it is worthy of note that the systems which the Europeans have
discarded are the systems in vogue among us. Their learned men continually
make changes. We ignorantly adhere to their cast-off systems. They are trying
each division to improve its own status. Wales is a small portion of England.
Great efforts are being made to revive a knowledge of Welsh among Welshmen.
The English Chancellor, Mr. Lloyd George is taking a leading part in the
movement to make Welsh children speak Welsh. And what is our condition? We
write to each other in faulty English, and from this even our M.A.s are not free;
our best thoughts are expressed in English., the proceedings of our Congress are
conducted in English; our best newspapers are printed in English. If this state of
things continues for a long time, posterity will - it is my firm opinion - condemn,
and curse us.
Is it not a painful thing that, if I want to go to a court of justice, I must
employ the English language as a medium. that when I become a barrister. I may
not speak my mother tongue and that someone else should have to translate to me
from my own language? Is not this absolutely absurd? Is it not a sign of slavery?
Am I to blame the English for it or myself'? It is we, the English-knowing
Indians that have enslaved India. The curse of the nation will rest not upon the
English but upon us.

Gandhian Philosophy: Twenty-first Century Relevance
After having stipulated fundamentals of the Gandhian philosophy of education, an
attempt will now be made to see their relevance in modern context of the twenty-first
century. Despite perceptible differences between the present-day societal / developmental
needs of edification vis--vis Gandhian philosophy of education, there are so many
features of timelessness in the Gandhis principles of education and its relevance today.
The unbridled pursuits of modern day perceived needs and ever rising
expectations in this high-tech savvy and knowledge-thirsty world often makes man
believe in what one sees the most in print and electronic media corruption, dishonesty
and violence in the familial, corporate world and national and international politics. It
appears as if there is a well established network of all these inhuman tendencies.
In addition to such apparent pejorative trends, requirements of modern education
also go simultaneously more in the direction of obtaining technological training and
competence in the emerging scenario of globalisation, good governance and civil society.
What is the relationship between the rising expectations and emerging
globalisation on the one hand and the Gandhian philosophy of education on the other
hand?
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This relationship is easy to grasp when a distinction is made between technical /
technological / professional training vis--vis education. This difference between the
two is necessary to understand for Gandhi as well. Technical, technological and
professional training is primarily job and profession specific. Education, however, is
more fundamental in nature. It involves carving out a fulsome human being from the
basic live resource of a man and woman coming to this world like a tabula rasa.
Education does not mean merely obtaining of various Bachelors and Masters degrees,
certificates and diplomas. Education prepares a man and woman for a life truly human in
nature full of an independent, interdependent, self-sufficient, fearless, mutually
cooperating and highly cultured existence with a deep sense of social commitment and
urge for public welfare.
This type of education is possible in the twenty-first century only when
individuals and nations alike keep away from absolute personal aggrandizement of
political and economic power in the interest of public welfare oriented political will,
proper intention and societal commitment. In the interest of mere human survival, one
has to end certain practices and start anew with what Mahatma Gandhi has suggested in
his Hind Swaraj. Ethical principles and character building provide the real bases to every
human action on individual, national and international planes. The direction of not only
the Indian education but also global education system has to be set right through root and
branch transformation. What if materialism of the West and spiritualism of the East meet!
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* Anurag Gangal (Ph. D.), Professor and Head, Department of Political Science; and Director, Gandhian
Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Jammu, Jammu.
* Renu Gangal (Ph.D.), Principal, Atman College of Education, University of Jammu, Jammu.