Dr Lokesh Chandra, director, International Academy of Indian Culture, Prof K D Gangarade, former pro-vice chancellor of Delhi University, Prof Y Singh, Prof. Emeritus of the Dept of Sociology, JNU, Prof Ravinder Kumar, director, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, and chairman of Indian Council of Historical Research, Prof R P Sharma, principal of Teachers Training College, Delhi University and Professor Emeritus of Delhi University, Prof M Mukhopadhyay, professor at the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration and consultant to many international organisations like UNESCO, Y P Anand, director of Gandhi Museum, Namrata Sharma, a research scholar and budding educationist, Prof Mukesh Willaims who is teaching at St Stephens College, Delhi University, and Prof N Radhakrishnan, director of Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Samiti.
Each session addressed the issues and problems facing individuals and society and the emerging world order. The main focus of the discussion was the role of education in bringing about a positive change in the individual and society through inculcation of the right values. However, education was shackled by problems of rigidity, lack of relevance and adequate resources.
The Agony of the Individual was, in the studied opinion of Prof. Y P Singh, neither a national problem nor even a new one. It has existed from the beginning of humanity. Disenchantment is not a phenomenon of modern society alone. Traditional society, too, has been afflicted by the same problem.
The general breakdown in society, the decomposition of communities and the resultant disintegration and politicisation of issues could be traced to an alienation from family values. The atmosphere of immoral ambience has only aggravated problems.
The Western world in recognition of this crisis in values is looking towards Gandhian paradigms. The challenge of the day is not to go back to Gandhi but to bring Gandhi up and establish a link with his ideals. Productivity and morality have to be integrated.
Dr Gangarade observed that children brought up by maid servants suffered as a consequence of lack of imparting of right family values. In his study of the work system in Japan of mothers and children, he concluded that mothers had no time or inclination to communicate with their children. Suicide rates were very high among adolescents in Japan. The role of education was therefore to bridge the communication gap, the veneration gap and finally the generation gap. How could this be achieved? The most important requisite lay in the ideal teacher. Tagore had said that a teacher who tells would be graded as `c’, while a teacher who demonstrates would be `b’ and a teacher who inspires would be graded as `a’.
What kind of education does free India need? An education that is related to one’s work. What is imperative is a rethink on the relationship between education and occupation which, according to current trends, is going to be transient because of fast changing work culture and changes in technology and skills.
Society needs to move away from utilitarian values to basic values which are not a means to an end but the end in itself. Basic values are not relative; they do not vary according to class, country or culture. Gandhi had recognised the pathology of modernity. While it is impossible to go back to the past, it is possible to evoke and maintain the values it espoused. Notions of sharing, caring and compassion are relevant and universal.
One needs to ponder on what direction education has taken? Today modernisation of means of education is more focussed upon. The role of education today should be to bring knowledge and values together. There is a need to bring sanity to education. We need to change the present oppressive pedagogy. Values should not be imposed but rather students should be encouraged to arrive at values.
Education has a very important role to play. It embraces various dimensions of society lending poise to the individual as he levers his way through life.
The last two sessions of the symposium brought into focus two brilliant educators, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Mahatma Gandhi. Makiguchi, a Japanese educator laid stress on an education system where the teacher was a mentor or a guide empowering his students to self-actualisation and interact effectively with their environment. The similarity between Makiguchi and Gandhi was that both were distressed by the existing state of affairs, endeavoured to change it in a significant way and gave their lives for a cause. However, while Makiguchi was fortunate enough to have Josei Toda and later Daisaku Ikeda to carry on relentlessly the cause of a more meaningful value-based education, Gandhi did not have anyone to carry on his battle in the context of a mentor-disciple hierarchy.
Prof. N. Radhakrishnan spoke at length on the components of the present millennium. A century, according to him, which had witnessed tremendous strides in science and technology, making available undreamt of resources. Close on the heels of this scientific development has followed a spurt in materialism and consumerism. The very same period has also seen the death of religion and the unprecedented spread of violence. Never before had the human mind subverted science to propagate such mass violence. Even though this century has seen a proliferation of scientific techniques for development, one cannot ignore the complete erosion and disregard for values. Today, even a child asks, ``What benefits do I derive from truth?’’
The current situation is indeed chaotic. The challenges that education faces are the factors of dehumanising poverty, growing intolerance, greed and insensitivity with which we treat life.
Dr. Radhakrishnan went on say that we should aim for a society with all boundaries dismantled, beyond languages, religion, caste and nationalities where respect for life should become the binding force. Religion is a major binder and being religious implies being anchored in values of compassion, love, morality, respect and tolerance. |
