AIMS OF EDUCATION-INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL.

AIMS OF EDUCATION-INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL.

Aims of Education

Education is a social necessity.It  take care of the changing social needs and aspirations. It is an activity which is directed to some goals. It always acts with an aim.This aim makes it a purposeful activity.The basic aim of education is to help each individual to progress towards the attainment of his full potential, both as a person and as a member of society. Any other human activities like education should have its own aims and objectives.

Knowledge aim of education 

Knowledge has almost been widely accepted as one of the most important aims of education . It is essential for adjustment to and mastery of one’s environment.Human progress through ages has been made possible through the increase and  diffussion  of knowledge.It is indispensable for the continuity and growth of society. It is a powerful agent for intellectual satisfaction and innate curiosity of man.

Vocational aim of education

It says that education is meaningful  only when it aims at some employment.It is the direct outcome of industrial and scientific advancement.The modern democratic education has placed the vocational aim in its fore front.It makes  the student  self sufficient in life.It makes education a purposeful activity. The vocational aim ,however is narrow and one sided because it does not consider higher values of human existence.It neglects the intellectual,aesthetic,cultural ,moral and spiritual aspects of human life.

Cultural aim of education

Preservation, transmission and enrichment of culture is regarded as the ultimate aim of education. Education for culture attempts to develop man’s  aesthetic  sensibilities  to appreciate fine arts and cultivate human powers and virtues.It helps in inculcation of noble ideas,attitudes and pattern of behavior.Over emphasis on cultural aim,however will lead to neglect of other aspects of leaner’s personality.Education with cultural aim alone may be misused by the privileged group in such a manner that many of the social evils may reappear.

Character building aim of education

Development of moral character is the supreme aim of education.It consists in the cultivation of values , social attitudes , ethical conduct and habits of a person.The moral aim of education serves as the basis of descipline and order in the school system .Over emphasis on the character building aim of education will,however,deacelerate free thinking,material prosperity,scientific development and the economic growth of the society.

Citizenship aim of education

Education for citizenship is the outcome of the sociological approach to education.It involves teaching and inculcating democratic values in the children.Education for citizenship should train the individuals to discharge his duties and make him conscious of his rights.This aim will help the learner to acquire democratic values such as liberty,fraternity,equality,fellow-feeling,tolerance,co operative living etc.It prepares the students to upheld the dignity of the individual.

Harmonious Development aim of education

Man is born with many powers and capacities.A progressive education should aim to develop all these powers and capacities in a harmonious manner to produce a well balanced personality.It aims to produce individuals who are personally and socially well adjusted and productive.It s major drawbackis that,there is no agreement among educationists regarding the standard of development of various capacities to consider it as ideally harmonious.Moreover, complete and harmonious cultivation of all powers cannot be achieved within the limited formative years of an individual.

Spiritual aim of education

Spiritual aim in education seeks to make man morally sound by developing the spiritual potentialities.It is only through education that spiritual virtues like generosity,sacrifice,good  intention,sympathy, compassion etccan be awakened.Spiritual aim of education makes a person gentle and pious.It reduces the problems of indiscipline,conflicts,quarrels,corruption,hatred etc in the society.

Leisure aim of education

Leisure means free and unoccupied time.The advancements in science,technology and means of transport and communication has reduced time and space resulting in the increase of leisure hours. Hence education should aim at the wise and the proper use of leisure hours.Proper use of leisure will increase  the efficiency of the students besides providing pleasure to them.Leisure is essential and helpful in making our life dynamic and rich.One great cause of strikes and indiscipline among the students is that they are not taught how to utilize their leisure hours.

INDIVIDUAL AIM OF EDUCATION

Individual aim emphasizes the development of the individuality of the learner according to his natural tendencies.It holds the central notion that individual should be in the forefront of the educational process.It wants to foster the free growth of the individuality of the learner,helping him to achieve the highest degree of individual development in social context.

Individual aim of education means that education should develop individuals according to their interest capacities and specialities.It should be noted that individual aim of education is not a new aim.In ancient india,Greece and some other countries also this aim was given due importance and prime position.In the present times also,since the entry of psychology in the field of education,rousseau,Pestalozzi,Frobel T.P Nunn and other eminent educationists have again started giving greater emphasis on the individual aim of education.In the following lines we are throwing light on the narrow  and wider meanings of this aim.

Narrow Meanig of Individual Aim

In It’s narrow sense, individual aim is known as self-expressin,all-round development of the child is natural development also.In it’s narrow sense,individual aim is based on the philosophy of naturalization’ according to which education should develop the unique individuality of a child in accordance with his instincts.History reveals the fact that it was roussaeu who first of all advocated this aim though his insistence on education in the lapse of nature according to the  nature of the child, but after him some other educationists also emphasized the importance of this aim.Amongst such educationists sir Percy Nunn  of England is the chief-supporter and hence ranks at the top of the list.He holds that the cental aim of education is ‘the autonomous development of the individual’.In his famous book Education, Its Data and the first principles’ he says “Nothing good enters in to the human world except in and through the free activities of individual men and women, and that the educational practice must be shaped to accord with its truth”.In the second chapter of his book Nunn further  remarks that each specie is moving towards perfection .Hence,individual aim is according to nature.Thus, in it’s narrow sense,individual aim of education emphasizes self-expression or natural development  of the child so that after receiving education according to his interests,inclinations,capacities  and needs, the child is able to choose a vocation according to his nature.

Wider Meaning of individual Aim

In its wider sense,individual  aim is known as self-realization. Psychology also corroborates the development of individuality. This is because psychological  researches have clarly established the fact that each individual is born with his own peculiar and distinct innate tendencies and capacities. Hence,it is the prime function of education to develop each individual fully and completely according to his or her interests, inclinations, aptitucles and capacities in such a way that he or she becomes an able and capable person. Inother words, education of the individual should be planned with a view to individual good as well as the good of the society of which he is an integral part.

sir Percy Nunn reveals himself as a naturalist when he argues in favour of individual  aim on the basis of biological phenomena in the second chapter of his book. But this is not the reality. Actually Nunn believes that if an individual is cut away from society, he can not develop himself in any way.

Social am of education

The social aim of education is based on the assumption that the society is superior to the individual. Thus the aim of education should be the good  of the society. It should aim to meet the needs of the society and ensure the welfare of the state. The social aim of education will help to strengthen social qualities like loyality, co-operation, sacrifice equity etc. it will make man civilized and bring secucity, peace and justice in society.

Some educationists have laid greater emphasis upon the social aim of education so that education develops in the children social feeling which will make them contribute their utmost to meet the demands of society after meeting their own needs. These educations evaluate the society higher than the individual. They believe that man is asocial being. He cannot live without society.In case he is cut off from the society, it will be very difficult for him to remain alive.

Narrow meaning of social aim

In its narrow meaning ,social aim of education is equated with state socialism. In this sense,liberty of the individual is totally curtailed and all aspects of individual can not even dream of his individual life are socialized.Any individual can not even dream of his individual identity.He is expected to sacrifies his everything,even his life for the good welfare to the state.As such the state frames such a scheme of education thought which it is able to control the aims, curriculam and the methods of teaching. Individuals are subjected to rigid discipline to cueb their sense of identity and individualism.

Wider meaning desire one of social aim

In its wider sense the social aim is equated with democratic socialism.In this sense it does not accept the importance of state, but at the some time does not agree with the insignificance of the individual before the state. Thus in its wide meaning, the social aim grants liberty to the individual to enjoy certain rights to develop his personality but at the same time expects from the individual to serve the state to best of his ability and capacity. India and other democratic countries where democracy has been combined with socialism. It may be noted that true citizens are greatly essential for the progress and prosperity of the state.Therefore all the democratic states having accepted the individual aim of education in its wider meaning, indifferent forms.The American educationist John Dewey and Bagley have also accepted the wider meaning of social aim. Prof.Bagley in his book ‘Education values’ have mentioned three chief characteristics of a socially efficient individual.They are 1)Ecoomic efficiency,2)Negative morality and3)positive morality.By economic efficiency he means ability to pull one’s onen weight in the economic life.By negative morality he means willingness to sacrifies one’s desire when their gratification would interfeace with the economic efficiency of others.By positive morality he means willingness to sacrifies one’s quen desires when their gratification would not contribute, directly or indirectly to social progress.In this way socially efficient individual is not a parasite on any member of society.He is a good citizen to understand and appreciate the world and is ready to sacrifies his own desires if they are harmful for others.

                                                                                     

                                                                               ANILA

NATURAL SCIENCE