HISTORICITY OF AIMS OF EDUCATION

Paper - 2, Unit - 1
Dr. Sweta Bagade

It has already been mentioned that educational aims are determined

by the conception of life. Every stage of human development had some
aim of life. The aims of life determine aims of education. The aims of
life are dynamic. Therefore, aims of education have changed from age
to age. In earlier times educational aims were determined by the
idealistic conceptions of life. For example, the aim of education in
ancient India was the ultimate outcome of the Indian theory of
knowledge and the corresponding scheme of life and values. People in
ancient India were greatly impressed and affected by the inevitability of
death as the central fact of life. At that time the prime aim of life was to
solve the problem of death by achieving knowledge of the entire truth
of life. Thus, in Ancient India the ideal of life was spiritualistic.
Therefore, the aim of education was self-realization or the realization of
Brahma or the Absolute reality of life or attainment of salvation.
Similarly, In ancient Sparta education was not individualistic but
socialistic. Each man was born not for himself, but for the state. The
state itself was a school where the entire educational endeavor was
regulated by the state. The immediate aim of this state-controlled
system of education was to train the youths for military services away
from home. The chief purpose of education was to produce courageous
soldiers. There was no place for Individual liberty. Education was
primarily physical.
On the other hand, in Athens, the individual occupied the pivotal
position in the field of education. The aim of Athenian education was
harmonious development of personality physical, intellectual, moral
and aesthetic. It secured harmony between the ‘individual and the
state, between physical and mental development, between thought
and action’. Its immediate aim was to develop a beautiful mind in a
beautiful body.

Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the Greek idealists, discarded extremely

individualistic aim of education. Socrates advocated that in education
emphasize should be laid on the acquisition of universal and eternal
knowledge or truth. Plato had emphasized harmonious development of
all the powers of the individual and equated personal realization with
social solidarity. Aristotle gave importance to the ideal of harmony
between the individual and the society, between intellect and
character, theory and practice.

The outlook of ancient Romans was materialistic. Their highest aim of

life was the attainment of material success. They had no interest in the
acquisition of purely theoretical knowledge. The aim of Roman
education was, therefore, to produce a worthy citizen of the Roman
state, able to enjoy the rights and perform the duties of a citizen.

During the middle ages, education was wholly a priestly affair.

Mysticism, monasticism, chivalry and scholasticism dominated life in
every field. Education was absolutely formal in character and religious
in outlook. With the passage of time this liberal humanistic education
degenerated into an artificial and formal system.

Against this artificial education the Realistic movement started under

the leadership of Bacon and Comenius. According to them, ignorance
waste root of all evils. So they advocated the dissemination of universal
and integrated knowledge. The child’s individuality, his powers and
interests were given supreme importance.

Due to religious, social, psychological and pedagogical reasons, a new

theory of education, known as theory of mental or formal discipline
came into being. John Locke was the historical representative of this
new doctrine. According to him, the aim of education should be to
produce a sound mind in a sound body. The aim of education would be
to discipline all the faculties such as memory, imagination, perception,
thinking etc.

J. J. Rousseau revolted against the existing artificial system of

education. With his initiative, a true individualistic ideal of education
came into existence in the 18th century. He not only championed the
cause of the common people but also the cause of the child in the field
of education. The child was regarded as an important and a central
factor in the field of education. Rousseau’s concept of negative
education had emphasised education according to nature. Thus,
naturalism appeared in education. According to Rousseau, the aim of
education was meant to be spontaneous and natural self-development
of the child’s nature in close contact with Nature. Kant was greatly
influenced by the individualistic concept of education and defined
education as the process by which man becomes man through his
voluntary efforts.

Pestalozzi had introduced the psychological tendency in education and

with it the child-centric movement in education had received a new
momentum and fillip. According to him, education was the process of
the spontaneous unfolding of latent powers of the individual towards
perfection. Herbart had shouldered this task and had developed a
systematic psychology with regard to the methods of teaching. Froebel,
the German idealist, regarded education as the spontaneous
development of a joyful, creative self-activity.

The twentieth century saw the emergence of the concept of

Pragmatism. Charles Pierce was the first man to introduce the concept
of pragmatism in his philosophy. Later on, it was popularised by John
Dewey, William James, Kilpatrick and Schiller. They believed that the
external worlds real and the reality is being constantly created and is
always changing. The credit of introducing pragmatic ideology goes to
two social thinkers namely William James and John Dewey. According
to John Dewey, the real value of a thing lies in its utility for human
welfare. Education will also be useful and purposeful if it contributes to
human welfare and progress. From the above survey of the educational
ideals, it is evident that the aims and functions of education have been
variously defined across the ages by different educators. Hence, we
may conclude by saying that aims of education are not fixed and static
but are rather subject to constant change and are dynamic in nature.
Educational aims are concerned with the educator and society.
Therefore, there are different aims of education. The reason for this is
that every person by nature is different from the other. Likes and
dislikes differ from person to person. Some may give importance to
morality, others to culture, and so on. So, there is a tendency for
people to reflect their own individuality in their aims. Similarly,
changing social needs also demands different aims of education at
different times

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