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Ways of learning Value Based Education—Need
of the Hour
India, however, chose to persist with the alien model of education after Independence and continued to insist that development was just an economic reorientation as integrated in our education system. The result is for everyone to see; the extent to which a student develops positive aspects of growth as a good citizen has not received adequate attention. Swami Vivekananda perceived education as a "man-making" multidimensional process with a specific purpose of achieving maximum self-realisation for the student and for optimal benefit to society. It is well known to all that our education system has totally failed in achieving any of the noble goals. The major challenge to education policies in India is to know the reality and relate the mundane, meaningless and mindless rituals of education to ethos, value and socio-cultural situations. Major Singh’s wisdom and ability to form judgment on this issue of national importance stems from the tempering heat of his experience as a teacher and maturity as a keen observer. His pain and deep anguish at the existing system is reflected in the book. While recommending ways and means to face the challenge, he tends to turn a recluse in the spiritual guidance and advice of religious scriptures and works of eminent thinkers. The book has been divided into two parts. While the first part has been devoted to various issues related to the Internet use, the second part guides the reader to face the challenge of existing system of education without values. However, the author’s enthusiasm in tackling the menace of education without values and ethics often stirs his emotions so deeply that he tends to repeat the same idea over and over again with the same concern and passion. While laying stress on the central theme of the book, the author says unless the ethics, morals and spirituality are integrated into the learning of science and technology, balanced growth of humanity is not possible. While lamenting the present state of education in the modern society, he provides remedies to the ills of the system based on the basic core universal human values of truth, righteous conduct, peace, love and non-violence. The author also provides useful information on the crucial factors like the role of teachers and parents in the development of a student who respects values and ethics. It is axiomatic but true that value-based education is not possible without value-based teachers. This is also true that teaching is not a preferred vocation for talented persons throughout the world but the situation is dismal in India, where teachers are not respected by students, society at large, and worst of all a majority of the teachers don’t respect their profession. In this scenario, talking of value-based teachers seems to be a far cry. The book deserves a
serious reading by the parents, teachers and the students whose minds it
is bound to agitate to prepare them to share their responsibilities in
developing a better India through a better education system. The author
has indeed done a great service to society by bringing the vital aspects
of values and ethics in the modern education system at the centre stage.
One hopes that the author’s efforts will make a difference. |
Mahatma
Gandhi, after analysing the education system India inherited from its
alien rulers, made one of the most prophetic statements in 1931: "…the
irony is that in terms of teeming millions… our education has become
irrelevant. Naturally, in the whole process of rebuilding, education
will have the most vital part to play, because it alone can prepare
people’s minds to receive new ideas and accept new tools, new
relationship and new form of organisation."