EDUCATION

EDUCATION

Education is an essential human virtue.The chief task of education is to shape man, or to guide the evolving dynamism through which man forms himself as a man. It fashions and models him for society. Human life can only be glorified through education and with its help ,man; primarly an animal being can be transformed to the human being. Ideally, education is the principal tool of human growth, essential for transforming the unlettered child into a mature and responsible adult. It can play a vital role in improving the quality of one’s life and the socio-economic condition of the nation. The task of education is to lead people out of darkness into light.  

MEANING OF EDUCATION

The word ‘education’ literally means ‘to bring forth’, which indicates that the true task of this process is to draw forth from the mind its innate potential for understanding. The specific use of ‘education’ meaning ‘to instruct’ is first recorded in 1588 in shakespeare’s play, Love’s Labour’s Lost. The meaning of the word ‘education’, as given in some of the important reference books, is as follows:

·       Webster’s Dictionary: Education is the process of imparting or acquiring knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgement, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.

·       World Book Encyclopedia defines eduacation as the process by which people acquire knowledge, skills, habits, values or attitudes.

·       The Oxford Dictionary defines education as systematic instruction.

·       The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines education as a process of teaching, training and learning, especially in schools or colleges, to improve knowledge and develop skills.

·       Encyclopaedia Britannica defines education as the process of getting experiences that has a formative effect on one or more aspects of the personality of the individual.

To sum up, education means the process of acquiring experiences to develop one’s innate abilities and talents needed for a productive and successful personal and social life. In its technical sense education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another.

DEFINITIONS OF EDUCATION

There is no definition of education that all, or even most, educators agree upon. Being largely a social process, the concept of education has been subjected to both evolutionary and revolutionary changes in different cultures.

A.  Definitions given by Indian thinkers: Ancient Indian thinkers took idealist or spiritual view of education.  Modern Indian thinkers have regarded education more from practical point of view than the idealistic one

·       Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says, education is something that leads the individual from the unreal to real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.

·       Kautilya, the great Indian statesman and law giver, defines education as the training for the country and love for the nation

·       Sankaracharya says, education is the realization of the self.

·       According to Swami Vivekanandan, education is the manifestation of perfection already existing in man.

·       Interpreting education, Gandhiji said: By education I mean an all round drawing out of the best in child and man, body, mind and spirit.

·       Aurobindo considered education as helping the growing soul to draw out that is in itself.

·       According to Dr.S.Radhakrishnan, education is nothing but training the intellect, refinement of the heart and discipline of the spirit.

B.  Definitions given by Western thinkers: Educational thinking, like every other branch of knowledge, started in the philosophical deliberation of the ancient Greek philosophers.

·       Socrates regarded education as an internal activity of dispelling error and discovering truth.

·       Plato considered education as the capacity to feel pleasure and pain at the right moment.

·       According to Aristotle, education is the creation of a sound mind in a sound body.

·       In the words of Pestalozzi, education is the natural, harmonious and progressive development of man’s innate powers.

·       Education, according to Froebel, is unfoldment of what is already enfolded in the germ. It is the process through which the child makes internal external.

·       According to Rousseau, education means natural development of organs and powers of child from within.

·       Education, as considered by John Dewey, is the development of all those capacities in the individual which will enable him to control his environment and fulfill his possibilities.

·       According to Paulo Freire, education is a cultural tool for the emancipation for the oppressed.

FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATION

Education is mainly concerned with the development of man as a social animal. It is a human right that should be accorded to all human beings solely by reason of being human. A community sustains itself through continuous self- renewal, and this renewal take place by means of the educational growth of the immature member of the group. In this context education has the following functions to perform:

1.    Spread of knowledge and skill: The first function of education is to provide various kinds of knowledge and skill to the child. This develops the child’s mind and without this no other development is possible.

2.    Development of innate powers: A child is born with several tendencies and abilities such as power of thinking, reasoning, imagination, creativity, etc. The education provides guided experiences needed to develop these innate talents and abilities.

3.    All round development of personality: A worthwhile education provides opportunities for the fullest development of the physical, mental, social, emotional and moral aspects of the personality of the educand.

4.    Development of moral character: Education in all progressive societies, aims to develop ethical values and moral qualities in the individual and build his character.

5.    Exercise social control: The child undergoes a process of socialization in the school and is thus subjected to social control. It is the role of education to exercise this social control necessary for social adjustment by preserving the personal integrity of  the learner.

6.    Preparation of adult life: Survival as a species is fundamental to all life forms. The very purpose of life to thrive and survive as a human species. Hence any useful education should develop such abilities and capacities that prepare the child for his future life.

7.    Promoting social development: The school provides with social experiences needed for the development of those abilities and values that will help him to become a successful member of the society.

8.    Satisfaction of needs: Education develops in the individual the capacities and the skill necessary to satisfy his physical, emotional, and social needs and thus to lead a self contented life.

9.    Achievement of self sufficiency: Education makes a individual self reliant and self supporting. It also promotes the sense of self sufficiency and independence of others.

10.                       Control and sublimation of instincts: Education enables man to control, give the right direction and final sublimation to the instincts in a socially acceptable manner.

11.                       Preservation and promotion of social heritage and civilization: Each society has its own traditions, customs, morals, values, and spiritual ideals. Educations prepare each generation to adopt the culture make contributions and to hand over them to next generation.

12.                       Inculcation of social feelings and development of a sense of community: Education helps to the development of social qualities such as love, fellow-feeling, kindness, co-operation, tolerance, sympathy, sacrifice etc. in the individual in addition to inculcating the spirit of social service and sense of community in children.

13.                       National Development: Education helps to persuade the individual to do his best to the nation. It plays a pivotal role in developing the sense of nationality among growing generations.

14.                       Training for leadership: Education provides training for leadership which develops the qualities needed to be effective and efficient leaders in all fields of social life.

15.                       Supply of skilled manpower: The standard of living of the people of a country depends on the material prosperity and industrial development of the nation. This requires trained and skilled manpower in large quantities. Education is the only means to provide for such a skilled manpower.

                                                                              

AKILA

NATURAL SCIENCE