Education as acquisition of knowledge and skill
ANIKA SHARMA
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF EDUCATION
MEANING OF EDUCATION
The term education usually denotes the technical sense and is generally limited to the context of
teachers instructing students. I have quoted some thinkers here to draw out the right
meaning of Education.
GEORGE F.KNELLER
“In its broad sense, education refers to any act or experience that has a formative
effect on the mind, character, or physical ability of an individual…In its technical sense
education is the process by which society, through schools, colleges, universities, and
other institutions, deliberately transmits its cultural heritage–its accumulated
knowledge, values, and skills–from one generation to another.”
Pestalozzi
“Education is natural, harmonious and progressive development of man’s innate
powers.”
Education inculcates certain values and principles and also prepares a human being for
social life.
Sri Aurobindo
“That alone will be a true and living education which helps to bring out to full
advantage, makes ready for the full purpose and scope of human life all that is in the
individual man, and which at the same time helps him to enter into his right relation
with the life, mind and soul of the people to which he belongs and with that great total
life, mind and soul of humanity of which he himself is a unit and his people or nation a
living, a separate yet inseparable member.”
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF EDUCATION
It is said that education without clear cut aims is like a rudderless ship.
Here are some objectives of a good educational system, we can broadly classified in
(1) Individual Development
(2) Social and National Development
Individual Development
Education should enable a human being to attain the greatest possible harmony,
internal and external, spiritual and material, for the fullest possible development of
human potentialities and capacities. Development of an individual – physically,
mentally and spritually is well known aim of education. Aim of education should be to
make children self- confident and self dependent, and to make them strong physically
and mentally.
Social and National Development
The social aim which means that education should produce effective individuals in the
sense that they realize their responsibilities towards the society. Social aim of
education is equally important because an individual lives in society and has his
obligations towards his nation. There is a realisation that, the present education
divorced from the real social content and social goals.
RELATION
Individual and social aims of education are not contrary to one another. In fact they
are complementary to one another. The purpose of education should be the
development of the fullest possible capacities and potentialities physical and spiritual
of a total man. It should make a man capable of earning his livelihood reasonably well
to enjoy a happy and secure life while making effective contributions to the society
and national effort of making India strong , advanced and prosperous.
SOCIALTRANSFORMATION
Education should not merely equip an individual to adjust with society to its customs and
conventions, but it should enable him to bring desirable changes in the society.
“Every educational institution from secondary school to university college should be developed to
become an agency of change….”
MORDERNIZATION
Education should enable us to move with times and attain excellence in science and technology.
“One of the suggestions explicitly points out that, our education should integrate and unite the
people of India, modernise society while preserving what is authentically Indian in our cultural
and spiritual heritage”.
ACQUISITION OF VALUES
Acquisition of Values is needed for social transformation. Moral, cultural and spiritual
values in education have been given immense importance .The following suggestion
beautifully reconciles the twin objectives of modern technical sophistication and the
ancient spirituality.
“New education policy of India should be built on the foundation of ancient spirituality
and modern culture and technical sophistication. It should develop scientific temper
and spirit of enquiry in the students”.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
“The education system in all its branches and sectors should get itself involved in activities
related to problems of local Community life and shall thus endeavour through the desirable
community participation community involvement in the educational field to bring all education of
its rightful place in community life.”
UNIVERSALISATION
Emphasis should be given in cultivating good qualities like cooperation, good will, forgiveness,
tolerance, honesty, patience etc. in order to encourage universal brother-hood and to prepare
students worthy citizens of the country.Values of optimism and secularism, and service to the
poor should be stressed on the young minds.
CONCLUSION
It may be pointed out that various dimensions individual and social development, social
transformation, value- acquisition etc., have been well identified in present time. We are of the
opinion that Indian education should aim at producing men and women of knowledge, character
and cultural values and trained skills to achieve excellence in their career and life.
