View of Great thinkers on medium of Instruction

B.Ed. C2 Unit - VIII

Views of great thinkers on medium of instruction

Education

Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which knowledge, skills, and habits of group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, or research.Education is “ preparing a person to face everyday life”,

Aims of education Development of personality

• Physical and intellectual development
• Religious and spiritual development
• Character building
• Promotion of social efficiency and happiness
• Presentation and spread of culture.

Importance of education

• Process of learning and knowing
• Not restricted to our educational institutions
• Continues through our life
• Events happening around us educate us
• Existance of humans is fruitless without education
• An educated person has the ability to change the world
• Assured of making the right moves

Views of some great thinkers on medium of instruction

• Mohandas karamchand gandhi
• Swami Vivekananda
• Rabindranath tagore

Rabindranath tagore

Early life

• Tagore was born on 6th may 1861 in Bengal in a prosperous family.
• At primary level his father provided him education in sanskrit language, lndian philosophy and Astronomy.
• For higher education he was sent to Bengal Academy where he developed an aversion to the prevalent dull rigid and dull education.
• He was sent to England where in he left it and further studied on his own. He gradually started writing in magazines etc.
• He turned into a poet, dramatist, philosopher and painter. He was then awarded the title “Gurudev”.
• He got Nobel prize as he translated Gitanjali in English.
• The Indian government awarded him with the degree of doctorate in 1915 which he evetually gave away after Jallianwala bagh incident.
• He established Vishwa bharti on 22nd september, 1921 whose aim was to create synthesis of east and west.
• He died in 1941.

His philosophy

As a vedantist : He had a firm belief in the philosophy of veda.
- He believed in “ Iam Brahma”- There is a spiritual relation between man and man.

As an Individualist: He believed in giving right type of freedom to individual- Every individual is unique.
As an Idealist: He believed that man should live for the ultimate truth which liberates us from cycle of birth and death.- Had faith in absolute values.

As a spiritualist: He believed that every individual should try to attain spiritual perfection.
As a naturalist: He considered nature as a great teacher.
- God revealed himself through various forms , colors , and rhythm of nature.
Tagore’s internationalism: He was an ardent prophet of world unity.-He believed in world brotherhood.

Tagore’s concept of education

According to Tagore
“God reveals himself through nature more effectively than through man made institutions Hence the education of the child should be under natural surroundings do that he develops love for all things around him”“Education is highest which not only imparts information and knowledge to us, but also promotes love and follow feeling between us and the living beings of the world”

Physical development

To include activities like swimming, diving, climbing trees, pllucking flowers etc.

Mental development

According to tagore “ in comparison with bookish learning, knowing the real living directly is true education. It not only promotes the acquiring of some knowledge but develop the curiosity and faculty of learning and knowing so powerfully that no classroom teaching can match it.

Moral and spiritual development

Education should strive for a number of moral spiritual qualities like self discipline, tolerance, courtesy and inner freedom.

Development of all faculties

Chief aim of education should be drawing out of the latent faculties of the child.To him a child is more important than himself hence he opposed the chrushing of the child’s individuality. Hence he should be given full freedom.

Universal brotherhood

Though Tagore was an individualist yet he believed in socialism, internalism. Accordingto him individual should develop to the fullest extent and then he should contribute his best to the promotion of international welfare.

Medium of instruction

Tagore emphasised on mother tongue as medium of instruction. Language is the true vehicle of expression.
Tagore wanted to reform indian education by combining the progressive views of the west and the spirituality of the east.
As he was an artist turned educationist, he gave a new dimension to education-emotional fulfillment through self expression, creative, work and communioin with nature.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Early life Born on 2nd october 1869 in Porbandar, Gujrat.

• A great socio-political reformer.
• Apostle of peace and non- violence.
• Champion of the freedom movement
• Organized Satyagraha and various other moments from 1919 to 1947.
• Died on 30th january 1948.

Gandhi’ s meaning of education
By education he meabt “ all round drawing out of the best in the child and man, body , mind and spirit.“literacy in itself is not education”.

Aims of education Self supporting aim Cultural development

• Character building
• All around development
• Cultivation of higher values of life
• Social uplift and welfare.

Basic education scheme

• Free and compulsory education for all from 7-14 years.
• Craft as the centre of education.
• Self-supporting education.
• Mother tongue as the medium
• Ideals of citizenship
• Co-operative living
• Emphasis on non-violence
• No religious education.

What he thought about western education

• He said that it focused on reading and writing than oral language; valued text books than lived experience and practical knowledge.
• He argued that education ought to develop a person’s mind and soul.
• He said literature can not be counted as education.
• People had to learn a craft, work with hands and know how different things are operated. This would develop their mind and capacity to understand.

Medium of instruction

“According to gandhiji,

• the foreign medium has caused brain fag, 
• put an undue strain upon nerves of our children, made them crammers and imitators, 
• unfitted them for original work and thought and disabled them for filtrating their learning to the family or masses.
• The foreign medium has made our children practically foreigners in their own land.
• It is the greatest tragedy of existing system.
• The foreign medium has prevented the growth of our vernaculars.
• If i had powers of a despot, I would today stop the tuition of our boys and girls through a foreign medium”.
• Gandhiji firmly believed that vernaculars or native languages of India should be the medium of instruction.

 Swami Vivekananda

Early life Born in 1863 in calcutta as Narendra Dutta.

• He found his guru in Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
• Shot to fame at Chicago’ s parliament of religions in 1893.
• Died in 1902 at such a young age and left a treasure of writings.
• Revolted against the imposition of the British system of education in India.
• He had a great passion for the Indian people.

Educational philosophy

“education is the manifestation of divine perfection already in man”.All knowledge is within the individual, it requires only an awakening.

Aims of education Education for self development. Character formation.

• Should build self reliance and confidence.
• Service to mankind.
• Promotion of universal brotherhood.

Methods of teaching Lectures, discussions, self-experience

• Developing the mind by concentration and meditation and yoga.
• Individual guidance by teacher.

Role of teacher

• To motivate , demonstrate and presuade individuals to discover their own potential, intellect and to prooerly understand their mind, body and spirit.
• Love, affection and empathy.
• Dedication, commitment, understanding of the scriptures and value based life.

Views on medium of instruction

• Mother tongue as medium of instruction.
• Common language to keep the country united,
• Sanskrit: it is the source of all languages and a repository of all inherited language.
• Students acquire depth knowledge from mother dengue.  
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