The erosion of Gandhian values—commitment, sacrifice and service — has led to a disconnect between education and its moral and social responsibilities

Educational endeavours in India immediately after independence were initiated in a hurry to achieve too much in too little a time, and that too, under a severe paucity of human and materialistic resources.  This has proved too costly in the long run to the nation, as it now suffers non-functional schools, absentee teachers and proxy teachers!

My interpretation would be that our teacher preparation institutions have either ignored, forgotten, or failed to appreciate the importance of the values that brought the entire nation together! It was the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi that had generated commitment, dedication, sacrifice, caring for others and devoting entire life to the nation. These are generally referred to as the Gandhian Values in public conversations. Unfortunately, the Gandhain values were neglected practically in every sector, as the generations managing the nation changed.  The expectations from teachers and education have always been very high, they are supposed to set standards, norms, practices, morals, ethics and values. Unfortunately, the phenomenon of disappearing values did not spare the education systems and teachers.

Eminent educationist D. D. Kothari puts it: “The basic task of education – education at all levels –is to promote powers of mind, acquisition of special skills, and advancement of knowledge, but above all, to generate in the young generation a sense of purposefulness and mission, dedication, confidence in themselves and faith in the country’s future. To underscore the significance of moral education and promotion of an abiding sense of ethical values and social responsivity as integral element of education in any society, secular or otherwise.”   This sentence deserves to be read a couple of times, and more than that, should generate an intensive process of continuous ‘Manan’ and then interactive discussions; ‘Chintan’.  This needs a serious rethink, which could begin from schools and projected to institutions of higher learning also.  To bring this point into the current context of the 21st century, let me digress to return to a focal point.One outstanding person who envisioned post-independence education in India in its totality of the past and present, and simultaneously envisioned its future, Dr D.S. Kothari, was a great physicist, researcher and legendary educator.

His deep insight into spirituality and the Indian tradition of generating, transferring and utilising knowledge, and the inherent objective of utilizing it for people’s welfare made him extraordinarily suitable for the task that he performed as the Chairperson of the National Commission on Education (1964-66).

It is impossible not to be impressed by his articulation, pragmatism and vision.   For India, his prescription for the future was also expressed in some of such orations in very simple yet meaningful terms: “STPG”! Yes, India and Indian education need to concentrate on ‘Science, Technology, Production; and Gandhi”! It was certainly more than five decades ago when this approach stirred my thought process and inspired my keen desire to comprehend it in modern times, in a situation overwhelmed by western education, thought and culture. The Kothari prescription meant deep familiarity with Indian tradition, culture, the intrigues it suffered, and an incisive analysis of Western knowledge systems, without any prejudice or ‘pre-conceived admiration only’!

It may sound personal, but listening to Professor Kothari changed my reading interests and transformed my entire approach to educational change. 

Unfortunately,  the Gandhi part of the quartet –STPG - proposed by Dr. Kothari never received the attention to the extent it deserved. This neglect of the Gandhain values is visible right from schools to universities, -exceptions apart! If one broadens the horizons, it would be obvious that its impact extends far and wide.  In simpler terms, one may ask: did India ignore the basic purpose of education?

Within the education system, if one dwells deep into the implications, the focus will always be on the teachers. 

The ultimate goal of all of us -and our religions - is the same. It deserves to be repeated that practically every Indian teacher in a government school teaches multi-religious classes, and hence, he ought to be best equipped -and convinced – of the beauty of the diversity of various types and dimensions that nature has bestowed on Indians, including religious diversity. 

The teacher who acknowledges his responsibility as the creator of a united, integrated and cohesive future of India, needs to be aware of the treasure of the great Indian scriptures all of which are not necessarily religious but act as the guide for a ‘contented, contributing and creative’ life.  A teacher must be free from prior prejudices and biases.  Those who are keen on this front could take guidance from an address that Mahatma Gandhi had delivered to the students and teachers of the Banaras Hindu University: “Early in my childhood I have felt the need of a scripture that would serve me as unfailing guide through the trials and temptations of life.

Today the Gita is not only my Bible or my Koran; it is more than that – it is my mother.” A large number of Institutions are engaged in in-depth research and serious studies on IKS- Indian Knowledge System. One expects that irrespective of misinterpretations of secularism these studies would not ignore the importance of ancient Indian scriptures and their contemporary relevance.

(Professor Rajput works in education social cohesion and religious amity. He is an Atal Fellow with the PMML, New Delhi)