Education in India – Ancient and   modern   ‘Neti’,  ‘Neti’  - meaning “learning is a never-endingprocess and the sources of knowledge are countless.”

 And

“A little knowledge that acts is worth more than much knowledge that isinactive. … Knowledge, the object of knowledge and application of the

knowledge – all the three are equally important for motivating to take a wiseaction.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Khalil Gibran

Issue

In India, illiteracy of a large number of people hasturned the visions of ‘Education for All’ into emptydreams. Especially, population explosion has put a heavypressure on its available infra-structure. According to2011 census, literacy-rate has gone only up to 74% from65%. For males it has risen to 82% from 75%, for femalesto 65% from 54%. About 20% of its population is stillilliterate. In absolute number, the figure of illiteratesis alarming. No nation can afford to have a large numberof its population to remain illiterate, ignorant andunskilled.

 Education and the masses

In ancient India, education was confined within a verysmall section of Indian society. It was not so muchbecause of discrimination that a large number of commonpeople were debarred or denied access to education, as itwas due to the following reasons - 

 Method to educate -  In the past, because of the method ofeducation, education remained confined within a verysmall section of the society. In absence of anywritten material, priestly schools in India haddevised a most remarkable and effective systemof transferring knowledge to succeeding generationsin form of hymns. They restricted it only to those,who possessed brilliant feats of memory andcapability to keep its extreme sanctity.

Use of Symbolic language - Symbolic laguage was in use toexpress thoughts, customs amd institutions. Thepurpose was perhaps to make it easier for human mindto remember. It gave everything in the society asacrament, religious and sacrosanct, but not in anarrow sense. Shiva–Shakti stood for Divinemasculine-feminine union, four elements of nature –Om stood for the sound of creation, Trishul fortrinity, Lotus for balance, Venus star  forcreativity, Sacrifice for an offering to gods, Purushand prakriti for ideal man-woman relationship, Somras as a symbol of divine bliss eyc. In Upnishads,Hindu epics and Geeta, there are many examplesof symbolic mentality. Later on, this trend gaveeverything an imaginative, mysterious, mystic ordivine shape. 

 Modern society has lost the mindset to understandthe true meaning of this symbolic language and isbeing criticized vehemently by some sections ofsociety such as Purush-Sukta of Veda says that fourparts od chaturvrna have been born from the body ofCreative Diety, from his head, arms, thighs and feet.These are symbolic expression. It expresses a divinereality. Its sense is that Brahmans were men ofknowledge, kshatriyas the men of power, Vaishyas the

producer and Shudras the service persons supportingthe other three.

Neti-Neti - There was infinite scope of development.Nothing was supposed to be final. Neti-Neti was theprinciple foe quest of knowledge.

Masses remained away from formal education, even wheneverything was put together in the epics – ‘Vedas’,‘Smritis’, ’Sutras’, and ‘Upnishads’, because of themedium being Sanskrit.

Masses were busy in their hereditary/traditionaloccupations. Skills were learnt more on job under thetraining and guidance of people already on thejob/occupation. For attaining more skills orfurthering their future prospects masses did notdepend on formal education,certificates/degrees/diplomas or on formal centres ofeducation and training i.e. schools/colleges.

The manner, in which hereditary occupationalknowledge and skills were transferred, was throughpractice and experience; not through formal classroomlectures, which often kills originality and verve ofpeople. The system led society to have moreproduction, economic efficiency and specialization invarious areas of activities like spinning, weaving,pottery making, bead making, seal making, terra-cotta, handicrafts, brick-laying, metal work etc.

But still, illiterate masses got the benefit of theknowledge of learned sages and munies. On the basisof their scholarly researches and experiences, thesages prescribed certain guidelines in the form ofrituals to be followed by common men.

Part I

Education in Ancient India

Education a private concern – Education in ancient India was aprivate concern. Occasional grants was given from state,private charitable institutions and pupils. The tutorsupplemented his income by performing professional dutiesof the priest.

Educational institutions of repute

Many travellers among whom most famous are Magasthenes (aGreek ambassador arrived at Patliputra in 302 BC), Fa-hien, Hiuen Tsang and I-Tsang threw much light on Indian values and systems.

Holy places like Taxila, Ayodhya, Banaras, Amaravati,Mathura, Nasik or Kanchi and capitals of kingdoms likePatilputra, Valabhi, Ujjayani and Padmavati were famouscenters of education. Valabhi in Gujarat and Vikramshilain Bihar were famous centers of learning. In south Indiacenters of learning were known as Ghatikas. Most famouscentersof learning were the monastic colleges mostlyfounded by Budhists. Students flocked from all places.

Few of most important universities of ancient India wereTaxila (being the first university of world establishedin Seventh century B.C.), Vikramshila University andNalanda University (built in 4 A.D). Huan Tsang in hisrecords mentioned the university of Taxila to be at parwith Nalanda andVikramshila Universities.These institutions wereconsidered to be the best Universities of its times inthe subcontinent and an honour to ancient Indianeducational system.

Takshila University was famous for medical studies.Varanasi was famous for religious teachings. In theSouth, Kanchi was famous for its studies while the

Vallabhi University was no less. There was a galaxy ofeminent teachers like Panini- well known grammerian,Kautilya- the minister of Chandragupta Maurya and Charaka– a medical teacher of repute.

Nalanda university - Nalanda was the epitome of suchcenters.  It attracted students not just from India, butalso from the entire South Asia. It was an internationalUniversity. Scholars of different castes, creeds, andraces hailing from India, China, Japan, Korea, Java,Sumatra, Tibet, Mongolia and Bokhara came here forhigher/advanced studies.. The teachers often attractedstudents from far and wide.  It had eight colleges, oneof it having four storied building and around 10,000students and teachers on its roll cards. It was one ofthe earliest examples of residential cum learningcomplex.

 Technical education was usually imparted in the familyitself, as most of the professions were hereditary.Sometimes artisans took students as apprentices.

 Steps to pass on knowledge - Knowledge was passed on orallyfrom one generation to another in ancientIndia. Education involved three basic processes, one,which included ‘Sravana’ (stage of acquiring knowledge of‘Shrutis’ by listening). Two, ‘Manana’ (meaning pupils tothink, analyse themselves about what they heard,assimilate the lessons taught by their teacher and maketheir own inferences,) andthree ‘Nidhyasana (meaningcomprehension of truth and and  apply/use it into reallife).

Method - Students were taught particular texts at home ofteacher. It was learnt by rote, enunciation andpronunciation were particularly taken care of. Students

were supposed to lead a strictly regulated life. Aims oflearning were faith, retention of knowledge, progeny,wealth, longevity and immortality. Besides domesticschools there were specialised agencies, discussions orconferences arranged by the kings. Women freelyparticipated in these conferences. There were Parishadsfor advanced studies. There were wandering scholars,Chaarakas, who spread education in the country.

Education and women

Women enjoyed freedom, respect and honour. According toManu “where women are honoured, the gods rejoice, wherethey are not respected, all actions become futile.” Inancient India women were given equal right to educationand teaching. Women seers like ‘Gayetri’ or ‘Maitreyi’were prominent participants in educational debates andproceedings of ‘Parishads’ (Assemblies). It was mostlythe Brahmins followed by Kshatriyas that receivededucation at the gurukuls, while boys from the lowercastes learnt their family trade from their fathers.

No bar

Individuals from humblest origin were highly educated andwere respected in Indian society as great achievers.Vashishtha, the principal of conservative school ofBrahmanism, was the son of Uravshi, a prostitute.Vishwamitra, the quintessence of Vedic Brahmanism andmaker of Gayatri Mantra, was a Kshatriya. Aitreya, afterwhom sacramental part of Rig-Veda is named as AitreyaBrahamana, was the son from a non-Aryan wife of a Brahmansage. Vyasa of Mahabharata fame was the son of a fish-woman. Balmiki, an untouchable according to presentstandards and the original author of Ramayana, is highlyrespected all over India.

“An ocean of knowledge in a jar”

Ancient Indian philosophy and Vedic literature contained“an ocean of knowledge in a jar.” It was supposed to be amagnificent example of scientific division and orderlyarrangement of rules, in a few words, in differentbranches of human knowledge, covering almost all theaspects of life, be it phonetics, arts, literature,medicine, polity, metrics, law, philosophy, astrology orastronomy. It spoke of everything- on staying healthy,social evils, improving concentration and tenets ofbehavior, which are relevant even today.

‘Rituals’

The substance of the knowlegde, learning and researchwork of Rishis-Munis (sages and saints) was put in theform of rituals for the benefit of common-men. Certainpractices/guidelines were shaped in the form of ritualsby intellectuals and prescribed for the benefit of commommen. These rituals and guidelines inspired people to leada harmonious and healthy life.

Spot out gems

With a rational mind, raising it from ignorance, one canunderstand the greatness of Vedic literature. Aknowledgeable person can spot gems from this ocean ofknowledge; pick them up and leave like worthless pebblesthe undesired, obsolete elements developed into thesystem with passage of time.

Revival of ancient knowledge

During second half of the nineteenth and beginning of thetwentith century, Swami Vivekanand, Rama Krishna Mission

and Theosophical Society of India tried to familiarizethe Western World, too, to the charm and graciousness ofthe ancient gold mine of knowledge, which had inspirednot only Indians, but foreigners as well. Intellectualsfrom various countries have translated it in their ownlanguagesand reinterpreted it for a rational mind.

As India progressed from ancient to medieval, itseducation system deteriorated. Medieval age It began withRajput culture and ended with Indo-Muslim contacts.Socity was marked as conventional society. The grip ofconventionalism weakened the society and led to darkness,corruption, anarchy and failure. Various factors wereresponsible for the degradation of such an efficient andmost ancient education system of the world.

Part II

Modern education before Independence

Modern education system

Modern education system was implanted by British rulers.Before the advent of British in India, education systemwas private one. In 1835, Lord Macauley introduced moderneducation in India. It was the introduction of Wood’sdispatch of 1854, known as Magna Carta of Indianeducation that laid the foundation of present system ofeducation and changed the scenario. The main purpose ofit was to prepare Indian Clerks for running localadministration. Under it the means of school educationswere vernacular languages, while the higher education wasgranted in English only. British government startedgiving funds to indigenous schools in need of help andslowly some of the schools became government aided.

Reasons for introducing modern education

Finding it too costly and perhaps practically impossibleto import enough Englishmen to man the large andincreasing number of subordinate or lower posts inadministration, British rulers planned of educatingIndians in such a way that they “should through westerneducation get Anglicised in terms of both cultural andintellectual attainments”. Lord Macauley clearly saidthat, “we must at present do our best to form a class,who may be interpreters between us and the millions whomwe govern; a class of persons, Indians in blood andcolour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals andin intellect.”

Welcoming modern education

The atmosphere was completely ready for Lord Macauley tolay the foundation of modern education in India by 1835.Missionaries and their supporters as well as Nationalleaders, intellectuals and Reformers not only welcomedbut exerted pressure on the company to encourage andpromote western education in India. Missionaries believedthat modern education would lead the people to adoptChristianity. Humanitarians, intellectuals andnationalist leaders considered modern education “the keyto the treasures of scientific and democratic thought ofthe modern West” and the best remedy for social,political and economic ills of the country.

Outcome of modern education

In 1844 through an Declaration knowledge of English wasmade compulsory for Government employment.The traditional Indian system of education graduallywithered away for the lack of official support. The

government made English medium schools very popular.English as Official language alienated the masses fromthe educated Indians. Because of modern education and newemployment opportunities, many traditional occupationsbecame obsolete.In near absence of industrial, commercialor social service activity, people in India were forcedto depend on modern education and Government jobs fortheir respectful earning. Modernisation of occupationsand industrialisation processes increased role of formaleducation and training for furthering future prospects ofpeople.

The universities at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras werestarted in 1837 and higher education spread rapidlythereafter. For scientific and technical education, onlythree Medical Colleges one each at Calcutta, Bombay andMadras was established by 1857. There was only one goodengineering college at Roorkee.

National leaders, intellectuals and reformers

Modern education not only produced persons to fill thelower levels of administration, as desired by the rulers,but also produced national leaders, intellectuals andreformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Dadabhai Naoroji,Ferozeshah Mehta, Gokhale, Gandhi, Jinnah, Ambedkar,Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Moti Lal Nehru, Jawahar LalNehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, Patel and many more. Theytook upon themselves the responsibility to build amodern, open, plural, culturally rich, prosperous andpowerful India out of a fragmented, poverty stricken,superstitious, weak, indifferent, backward and inwardlooking society. In short , they believed that -

Western literature and philosophy would give Indiansthe understanding of liberal, scientific, democraticand humanitarian ideas thought of Western World.

It would make Indians aware of the real issueshampering the progress of Indian society.

Modern education would improve the life of common menand conquer ignorance, hunger, poverty and disease.

It would open the key to the treasures of Scientificand Democratic thought of Western World.

Principles of Democracy would spread rapidly acrossthe nation and finish imperialism and tyranny.

It would remedy many social, political and economicills of the nation.

Brahmins ahead of others

Initially, it was an impoverished group of Brahmin andcaste Hindus in search of livelihood, who desire to livewith dignity and honor opted for modern education.Gradual displacement from their source of income afterdecline in financial status of their patrons – Princesand Zamindars, appalling poverty of Brahmins compelledthem to opt for modern education.

Reason being their poverty, not discrimination

Sir Alfred Croft, Director of Public Instruction inBengal wrote to Rev. J. Johnston in 1881, “We know wellthat any considerable increase in the fees paid bycollege students would compel many to withdraw. It seemsnot to be fully understood… how poor the middle classesthat flock to our colleges really are. Half the studentslive from hand to mouth…. And yet though, far behind inpoint of wealth, they correspond to, and are in fact theonly representative of our professional classes at home,and the pressure on them for the means of subsistence is

so great, that they must either be educated or go towall.”

Their poverty gets confirmed by a study done to examinethe annual income of the guarantors of 1271 BrahminStudents enrolled at Ferguson College, Pune from 1885 to1895. According to it, 76% of theChitpavanBrahmins guarantors belonged to the low or medium incomegroups. Similarly of the 277 DeshasthaBrahmin guarantors, 70% came from low or medium groups.

They being natural learners and pursuers of knowledgeutilized new type of employment opportunities createdwith introduction of modern education in 1835. They werequick and far ahead of other communities to grasp almostall the opportunities in these spheres. Their longtradition and undisputed role in the field of knowledgeand learning, their intelligence, sincerity and hard workhelped them even after independence to secure importantplaces in the modern society.

Why masses deprived of modern education

Except for a few, masses could not avail the advantage offormal modern education. Relentless effort ofmissionaries and reformers could educate a very smallnumber of people. Reasons being:

Modern education was very costly and, therefore,unaffordable by the masses.

Masses did not see any immediate use of education. Itwas more important for them to work and arrange twosquare meals day.

The emphasis was on English medium education system.

Served double purpose

Introduction of modern education had served adoublepurpose for the British rulers – they got the credit forthe amelioration of the Indian society. But at the sametime, through it, they devised a unique method ofdistribution of power, kept balance of power andprolonged their rule in India by keeping the natives busyin their in-fights.

Impact of modern education

The second half of the nineteenth century saw the impactof modern education on the minds of Indians as under: -

1.Christian missionaries brainwashed many peopleespecially the poor by preaching and educating themand developed in their minds a complex aboutthe primitiveness of Indian society,influenced themtowards the alien culture and then converted theminto Christianity. With the help of British rulers,Christian missionaries and religious mindedWesterners like William Webberforce or Charles Grant,they succeeded in converting many persons intoChristianity.

2.National leaders, social reformers, educated peopleand intellectuals welcomed rationality and other goodfeatures of Modern English education. They also gotalarmed at divisive policies of the rulers. It ledthem to lead the national movement. They understoodthe real issues hampering the progress of Indiansociety. These organizations had purely an economicand social thrust. They fought against social evilscaused by ignorance, superstitions or irrationalitylike untouchability and inhuman treatment to women,Sati, Polygamy, child marriage, and many othersprevalent at that time. Emphasis was laid on

education and science. They criticized the mumbo-jumbo of rituals and superstitions created by someselfish people to entangle the ignorant and poormasses. 

3.Reformers got alarmed at the erosion of IndianCulture. Organizations (like Brahma Samaj founded byRaja Ram Mohan Roy (1828) in Bengal, Prarthana Samajin Maharashtra (1867), Arya Samaj (1875) founded bySwami Dayanand in Northern India, Rama KrishnaMission, Theosophical Society of India (1879), DevSamaj in Lahore and Servants of India society)interpreted religion rationally and advised people toremain firmly rooted to the Indian Culture and notget swayed away by the glamor and materialism ofalien culture.

4.‘Back to Vedas’-Therefore,they organized people, heldconfrences, published articles and undertook internalreform efforts through Sanskritization. They gave acall for “Back to Vedas” and advised people to setfree Hinduism from all degenerate features. It wasnot the Hindu principles, but the practices,which went wrong. Vivekanand said,’It is we, who areresponsible for our degeneration.’

Swami Vivekanand, who founded the Rama Krishna Mission,“Each nation like each individual has a theme in thislife, which is its center, the principle note, aroundwhich every other note comes to form the harmony. If anynation attempts to throw off its national vitality, thedirection, which has become its own through thetransmission of centuries, nation dies.”

Divisible policies of the rulers

Many national leaders and intellectuals got alarmed atthe divisible policies of the rulers. They realized theimpact of British racial discrimination in the areas ofeducation and jobs and their repressive policieselsewhere. They realized the impact of British racialdiscrimination. Economic loot, political subjugation,assertion of lordly superiority over the subject on theground of race, assumption of a haughty exclusiveness,persistent insulting and supercilious behavior towardsall Indians, exclusion of Indians from all places ofauthority and responsibility and denial of their capacityfor self-governance united Indians against British rule.The destructive character of repressive policies ofBritish rulers lit the fire and gave birth to nationalmovement.

Part III

After Independence,

After independence, even relentless effort of reformers,government and NGO’S only a small could educate a verysmall number of people especially from amongst backwards.Masses could not avail the benefit of modern/formaleducation. It is not so much because of resistance fromcaste Hindus, as for other reasons.

Reasons for not succeeding in ‘educating all’

It is falsely accused and propagated by someintellectuals, leaders, reformers and supporters ofReservation/Affirmative Action Policy thatprivileged upper castes have taken advantage of moderneducation to establish or reinforce its traditionaldominance. They prevented lower castes from gettingeducated or promoting their status in modern society.

However, as modern history points out, on the contrary,it was mainly impoverished group amongst Brahmin andcaste Hindus opting for modern education, who were insearch of livelihood,.

Impoverished group

Impoverished group of caste Hindus looked upon moderneducation as means to earn their living respectfully.Therefore, when modern education was introduced, they,opted for costly Western Education and devoted theirscarce resources on it.

Costly nature -General masses have not still availed thebenefit of modern education. Reasons for illiteracy of alarge number of people are many. Quality education isstill very costly for common men and, therefore,unaffordable for masses. Costly nature has tended to makeit a monopoly of the richer classes and city dwellers.

Population explosion – Population explosion has put a heavypressure on available. There has been insufficientinfrastructure. There is lack of quality education andtraining systems in government or government aidedinstitutions. Masses do not see any immediate use ofeducation. It still is more important for the poor peopleto work and arrange two square meals a day.

Importance of English language in modern world

With the changed scenario due to globalization,liberalisation and revolution in Information Technology,English has been accepted internationally as a means ofcommunication. Therefore, learning English language hasbecome necessary to get a space in international world.Education through foreign medium is a difficult task.

Earlier English medium had already put undue strain uponthe nerves of the Indian students.

Alienation of masses

The language of majority of people is Hindi. However,stress on English medium education and English languageis more than it was before independence. After Hindi,English language is being spoken especially by educatedIndians, mostly belonging to upper echelons of thesociety. Increasing importance of English has alienatedfurther the masses from educated ones.

Short-comings of present education system

There are some deficiencies in the present Educationsystem, some of which have been inherited from theBritish. There are many internal as well as external manypressures on the system, because of which quality ofeducation suffers.

External pressures – Externally, recent social changes andlarger political turmoil have affected adversely thewhole atmosphere. Some changes took place in the recentpast in the character, role and inter-relationship of thesix main constituent of the national elites – thepolitical executive, the legislators, the businessmen,the organised workers, the surplus farmers and thebureaucrats. Narrow loyalties, sectional interests andsub-cultures like – favouritism, nepotism and corruptionhave fast become an accepted way of life.

Result is that communal, regional and caste conflicts andunhealthy competition between different sections forpower and pelf are increasing every day. Powerful lobbiesdesire to have exclusive hold on scarce resources of the

nation. Few persons and groups, who have the power intheir hands and who control almost every walk of nationallife are working to deny justice to common men. Thereflection of all these social evils is found in theeducational system as well.

Internal pressures – Based on colonised British Grammar Schooltype education has made Indian students crammer,imitators and unfit them for original work and thought.It has not taught them to have pride in theirsurroundings. The more they get, the farther they areremoved from their surroundings and at the end of theireducation, they become estranged from their surroundings.They are loosing their natural character, because theyare getting away from their traditional aspirations andvalues in preference to the western materialism.Alienation of modern generations from their roots andculture alarmed Gandhiji and he said, “My real educationbegan after I had forgotten all that I had learned atSchool”.

Erosion of Indian culture – Modern educationhas disassociating Indian people from their traditionalway of learning, classical roots and knowledge. With ithave faded Indian values, philosophies and traditions,which had taught Indians the spirit of tolerance and firmbelief in the principle, ‘Live and let live’ has alwaysbeen the part of Indian ethos. Indians believe in‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ – the whole world is one family.

 C. Rajgopalachari had said, “If there is honesty inIndia today, any hospitality, any charity— any aversionto evil, any love to be good, it is due to whateverremains of the old faith and the old culture”. Tolerance,

truth, Ahimsa, peace and non-aggression are the hallmarkof Indian culture.  

What should be the limit of tolerance – The people in India endureinjustice and unfairness until they are pushed right uptothe wall. Many times in the past, Indians had acceptedoppression and exploitation without much protest, whilesuch situations would have led to bloody revolutionselsewhere in the world. Even today, the people aretolerating the corruption, scams, scandals and criminalactivities developed in political sphere, as well asinefficiency seeped deeply in administration without muchprotest. People needs to be taught not to tolerateinjustice and raise their voice against it peacefully.

Influence of West

Present education system has given rise to a group ofIndian intelligentsia which is influenced in a big way bysocial, political, economic norms of western world andtheir way of living. It vehemently denounce culture,character and social value system of India. It regardsthe culture of the land as indefensible, responsible forcreating many discriminatory social values. The number ofsuch people is increasing. The more its number of suchpersons grows, especially amongst Indian intelligentsia,the more intolerant, people would become.

Influence on modern youth

A drastic change is visible in the values, behavior andetiquette of a new educated neo- rich youth of elitistclass, which has emerged especially in Metros. Their lifestyle and value system are being gradually replaced bythe Western ones. They want to enjoy pleasures of modernlife at any cost without any restriction. They are more

conscious of their rights and want to enjoy life fully inany possible way without any bondage. They do not likeany restriction/comment on their behavior or way of life.Loosening grip of social bondage and observances havemade many of them selfish, self-willed and arrogant. Someof them have become so intolerant and aggressive, thatthey out-rightly discard all social norms and etiquette.

Their thinking and value systems are quite different fromthe older ones. Most of them generally regard Indianvalue system as rubbish and its epics as irrelevant. Theyset their own rules. Their yardstick of smartness isinterest in stock exchanges, glamor, pubs, parties,discos or late night culture, which gives rise to manykinds of social problems. With growing cult ofmaterialism and consumerism, finer values of life aredisappearing fast. Lust for material gains, comforts,craze for luxurious and glamorous life style has madethem so insensitive that they hardly feel anything aboutthe hardships and agonies of the ‘have-nots’.Friendship/relationship prospers only if these cost-effective. Otherwise people do not hesitate in showingtheir helplessness due to lack of time or energy. Thepersons, who readily help people in need are consideredfools in modern society.

Objective of education?

Gaining mere knowledge is not the purpose of learning. AsKhalil Gibran has said, a little knowledge that acts isworth more than much knowledge that is inactive. Also,one whose knowledge is confined to books can not use hisknowledge wealth when the need for them arises.Knowledge, the object of knowledge and application of the

knowledge – all the three are equally important formotivating to take a wise action.

Pursuit of material success is super-most objective inthe minds of young students. It is making them more andmore selfish and intolerant to others. They are driftingalmost rudderless without sense of direction. Academicbackground, career and good earning is important in lifefor happiness and satisfaction, but more important isliving a quality of life, humanity, compassion and selfdiscipline for enjoying life fully.

Once more, India has to be made a hub of knowledgecreation. It will be a big blunder, if it fails to do itnow. India’s massive human resource needs to becultivated through sound system of education and trainingto get out of the rut of mediocrity. The system ofeducation and learning should be such that it could thefaculties of human beings ‘in proper manner towardsproper objectives, channelize the desires and energies ofIndian people towards proper objectives and rightactivities. Discipline and productivity are necessary foreducation.

Winding Up

Amalgamate Indian Culture with western Mechanism

Eastern part of the world surpasses the West by no smallmeasure on issues of culture-starting from Egypt andmoving eastward through Mesopotamia, Indian sub-continent, China and south east Asia. Indian culture haskept, thousands of years old XYZ alive, despite hit afterhit on our successive generations from outsiders.

When it comes to advancement in knowledge and science itis the west that has led the world. Looking at themechanism of expansionism and spreading out, the west hasalways had the upper hand. Otherwise how could a nationof a handful travel the world over and thrust itsimperialism on it. A segment of this group, by sheer hardwork and patience, threw the imperial mechanism overboardand built up a nation, living in which is a dream ofevery young person. In short, the above discussion throwsup following important issues -

1.Importance of knowledge in education can not bedenied. Purpose of education has unfortunately beenmisunderstood to mean acquiring as much academicknowledge as possible, leading towards award ofdegrees. But equally important is inculcating skillsin all the vocations according to aptitude ofdifferent individuals through practical training foroverall development of nation. Training in differentvocations should be given when minds of individualsare still in formative stage. Training becomesnecessary for applyng knowledge in real life.

2.There is no doubt that modern education has given toIndia the key to the treasures of scientific andmodern democratic thought. It is the west that hasled the world in advancement in technology andscience. It opened up the doors for liberal andrational thinking. It widened the mental horizons ofIndian intelligentsia during nineteenth century.However, somewhere it got derailed and now the systemof education at all the stages, from preliminarythrough secondary right up-to the college stage makesmind just a store-house of knowledge and discouragescreative thinking.

3.India surpasses the west by no small measure onissues of culture. It is one of the oldest livingculture in the whole world, despite hit after hit onit in the past during alien rule.

4.For building an ideal structure for education, anamalgamation of eastern culture and western methods,liberal thinking and advancement in science andtechnology of the West would be the best for futuregenerations. would be the best.

5.The world is now a global village. Thanks torevolution in areas of information, communicationstechnology and travel apparatus. It will be good ifthe forces of both – culture and systems – could becombined and a charter of an ideal educationblueprint could be evolved for future generations..Why not we combine the forces of both these, Cultureand Mechanics, and evolve a charter of an idealeducation blueprint for our future generations.Technology advances have brought us to a stage whereevery concept is an option! Why not cash upon it