TRADITIONAL VALUES OF EDUCATION IN INDIA – IMPORTANCE AND CHALLENGES
Dinu George (No. 29, Mathematics)
INTRODUCTION
Education
imparts knowledge which in turn fosters character. The educational process is
therefore reckoned as a holy endeavor, and hence the teaching profession is the
noblest, most difficult and the most important. Educational institutions are
obviously looked upon as the nurseries in promoting tradition, loyalty to
culture and ideals of service to the society. Hence, Balagangadhar Tilak
proudly proclaimed that he would prefer to be a teacher rather than becoming
the Prime Minister of free India, for teachers could alone accomplish the task
of sculpting the leaders of the people and preparing everyone for the life of
dedicated service. Institutions were once worshiped as the Goddess of Learning:
but they are getting changed into temples of worship of the Goddess of Wealth.
Now schools, colleges and institutions are not involved in preparing the
students for the challenges of life morally and spiritually.
We are all facing
a predicament which has eclipsed the spirit and purpose of education, and
belittled the pious relationship between the teachers and taught. The “pay and
use” syndrome has started eroding the age-old tradition of “Guru Devo Bhava”. A tremendous
responsibility rests upon the teachers. Education at school level has a special
importance because these are the years when human mind is most impressionable.
The teacher is the key man on who the future of children and the mankind
depends. He plays an important role in shaping and moulding the personality of
a child.
“Education without vision is waste, education without value is a crime,
and education without mission is life burden.” Value development is by no
means a simple matter. Value development through education in all its
comprehensiveness involves developing sensitivity to values, ability to choose
the right values, internalizing them realizing them in one’s life and living in
accordance with them. An educational system, if it really aims at making human
life peaceful and happy, ought to pay undeviated attention, special care and
constant focus on thoughts, motives, attitudes, actions and finally values in
the life of human beings.
Education system has so far
failed to come up to the expectations and aspirations of people. It has failed
to provide the requisite channels of knowledge and experience of values which
can assist the students to discharge their duties and responsibilities as good
citizens when they grow up. It has failed to equip them with skills, abilities
and ways of thinking which become true education. Lack of value education in the
education system has resulted in disturbances in the social structure.
Globally, mankind is torn by
conflict and anxiety. Money and muscle power determine human behaviour and an
environment of consumerism, greed anger and selfishness has resulted in corruption
of social institutions. Erosion of values has brought about complex problems
for humanity in general.
The students have to emerge from
schools as good citizens, ready to successfully face challenges and
complexities of the new millennium in a constructive humane manner. They should
be able to contribute to create peace and harmony in the society and contribute
to the protection of nature. Here we are discussing about values, its
classifications, traditional values-its importance, need and challenges in the
present situation.
VALUES
AND EDUCATION
Education is a process which
draws out the best in man with the aim of producing a well balanced
personality- culturally refined, emotionally stable, ethically sound, logically
correct, intellectually competent, mentally alert, technically advanced,
morally upright, physically strong, socially efficient, spiritually mature,
vocationally self-sufficient and intentionally liberal.
Values are the outcome or results
achieved after teaching according to aims. Value means something that has a
price, something that has a worth, something precious, dear, something one is
ready to suffer for, sacrifice for and if necessary one is ready to die for it.
The most important and central
problem of the modern philosophy is the theory of value because every human
action is the reflection of an individual value and every human institution an
out-growth of a social value. It is not at all possible to avoid the influence
of values in human life. Axiology is the branch of philosophy which is
concerned with values. Philosophers of the great tradition from Plato to Hegel
have been greatly concerned with values though they may not have used the term.
When the philosophers deal with the supreme end of the man they really deal
with values. Values have their prior existence and human beings are continually
valuing things and activities throughout the whole of their lives.
From the etymological point of
view, value signifies that quality of an individual or thing which makes that
individual or thing important, respectable and useful. This quality may be
internal or external or both. According
to axiologists “though values are judgements, they are emotional and not
intellectual judgements”. They should not therefore be dealt with as modern
psychology tends to do, as if they were a phenomena cutting only for
intellectual consideration. It is defective, if we deal with this in philosophy
courses intellectually. A student of philosophy and education must judge what
to value and what to disvalue.
The term ‘value’ has several
connotations. The philosophers, the educationists, the sociologists, the
axiologists give different definitions of “value system” according to their
views, outlooks and experiences. Some eminent scholars have defined ‘value
system’ in the following manner:
1.
J. S.
Brubacher: ²To state one’s aim of education
is to state his educational values.”
2.
Ralph
Borsodi: ²Values are emotional judgments.
They are generated by feelings not cognitions; they are emotional, not
intellectual judgment.”
3.
Urban: ²Value is that which satisfies
human desire.”
Values differ with interest.
Books have no value for the uneducated man while for the scholar they are worth
their weight in gold if not more. And even among the scholars books on
different subjects would be valuable to different individuals. Besides, value
changes not only with interest but also with time. To take a simple e.g., food
has value for the hungry man but for the man whose stomach is full it is far
less valuable. Values change with the level of development also because for the
materialistic man it is the physical which possess the greatest value. It is
said that Alexander the Great once went to invoke the blessings of a great
mystic who lived in a condition of extreme poverty which did not bother him the
least. Alexander respectfully asked the saint whether there was anything he
could do for him. The saint requested Alexander to stand aside and let the
sunlight fall on him which had been obstructed by Alexander’s position. The
difference in human behavior occurs because we regard different things as
valuable, according to our interest, opportunity, moral level and the level of
development.
EDUCATION IN INDIA
India is a land, which is rich
not only in culture and tradition but blessed with seers and sages who guided
it through the ages. Education in India was shaped by the profound influences
of our saints. A singular feature of ancient Indian or Hindu civilization is
that it was molded and shaped in the course of its history more by religious
than by political or economic considerations. Religion practically dominated
every sphere of life.
In ancient India the Gurukul system was the only method of
learning where emphasis was laid on the mastery of Vedas. The term Veda is
derived from the root ‘Vid’ which means ‘to know’. A 'gurukul' or 'vedic
school' (Sanskrit guru
"teacher" or "master"; kul domain, from kula,
"extended family") is a type of school in India and in several other
countries, residential in nature, with pupils shishya living near the guru, often within the same house. In a gurukul,
shishyas live together as equals,
irrespective of their social standing, learn from the guru and help guru in his
day-to-day life, including the carrying out of mundane chores such as washing
clothes, cooking, etc. The guru-shishya tradition (parampara) is a hallowed one in Hinduism and appears in other religious groups in India Though the system of education
was non-formal it was highly relevant to the way of life as it had sound value
base.
Taking cognizance of the fact
that value based education is the edifice that supports and binds the diverse
pillars of the country; the westerners did not lose any time in making inroads
into the carefully woven cultural fabric. Lord Macaulay introduced English
education in India; it helped the westerners achieve their goal of weaning away
Indians from their cultural roots and integrating them with their culture. The
impact of Western education and values brought about a radical change;
cultural, social and demographic changes in the society and India witnessed a
never before crisis in human values which posed the biggest challenge to
educators and academicians.
In the present educational
set-up, there is a total lack of attention to the concepts of man-making and
nation-building. The emphasis instead is on money making and materialism. This
has resulted in a gradual, serious erosion of values in body politic. The only
way to reverse this trend is value orientation in the educational system. This
involves creation of a suitable environment in our educational institutions,
which in turn, requires design and development of tools and infrastructure to
build up and sustain this kind of environment. In particular, this will involve
reorientation of mindsets of teachers, their extra-curricular activities and a
healthy interface between them and the parents.
CLASSIFICATION OF VALUES
The term value may mean different
things to different people but the concept of values and ethics is crucial to
greatness or otherwise of all human action and behaviour. Value is what an
individual desires, likes or prefers. The range of values of man is indeed wide
from mundane and petty desires to lofty ideals. It could be any of the material
things like jobs, promotions, money and power or intangible things like
happiness, bliss, peace, social justice and secularism. One thing considered
good by some is bad for others because of the value they attach to it. Their
perception of the value depends on their paradigms and prejudices.
Values can be classified in
different ways under different categories. For example, they can be either
intrinsic or instrumental, depending on whether they are desires for their own
sake or are meant to be means to achieve something. Values like truthfulness, happiness,
spirituality and knowledge are intrinsic while desire for money and power is
instrumental value. Values can also be classified as moral and aesthetic. Moral
values deals with perception of right and wrong while aesthetic values reflect
beauty and ugliness. Values can again be classified as positive or negative
depending on the ones a person wants and those he would like to avoid. They
could also be considered as higher or lower. Higher values are intellectual,
aesthetic, moral and spiritual in character while lower values are for material
or physical gains.
Values are subjective and
relative to situation, place and time and their interpretations need to be
changed or modified with variations in socio-economic environment. There are
certain basic values which reflect morality and are eternal. Truth, goodness
and beauty are eternal values, not created by man and independent of his
desires. Loyalty to one’s country is a self-justified value. In the ultimate
analysis, values to be cherished, nourished and promoted must be those which
are source of greatest good to the greatest number of people.
Values can also be classified as
theoretical, economic, aesthetic, social, political and religious.
Theoretical value means having
dominant interest in the discovery of truth and is empirical, critical,
rational and intellectual in approach.
Economic value means that an
object commands a money price. People value money or material things not for
their own sake but for the pleasure and enjoyment that they provide. Economic
values are instrumental rather than intrinsic, are values of commodities in
exchange and arise out of production and use of material goods.
Aesthetic values refer to the
experience that a person has when he perceives an object as beautiful or conversely,
ugly. One realises an aesthetic value when one perceives an object as a unified
expression of meaningful feelings.
One gets social values, from
friendship, love, family and participation in good activities.
Political values represent
interest in political matters and/or having alliance with a particular
political party.
Lastly, if a person considers an
object divine, it is said to have a religious value and its experience is
called religious experience which may be spiritual or divine.
INDIAN TRADITIONAL VALUES
In a pluralistic society like
India, we have to identify generally acceptable universal human values and
promote these within and outside educational institutions at different levels.
Till recently no serious attempts were made to identify them. Fortunately, a
consensus is now emerging on basic, core, universal human values which should
be incorporated in our learning and teaching.
For students to become
well-integrated human beings, it is necessary for them to develop physical,
intellectual, emotional, psychic and spiritual facets of their personality on
right lines. This is possible only through a combination of cognitive,
affective and conative approaches. Cognitive orientation implies the knowledge
that realization of the true ‘self’ (atman)
is the real truth (satya). Affective
orientation conveys that all men have true self (atma) and leads to the concept of universal love (prem) and inner serenity, i.e., peace (shanti) and equanimity under all
situations. Conative orientation is doing one’s duty calmly and sincerely
without any thought of reward and personal gain which can be termed as
righteous conduct (dharma) in a
non-violent manner (ahimsa). The
three thus lead to the five basic core human values, namely, Truth, Righteous
Conduct, Peace, Love and Non-violence, the five sources of moral strength.
These values transcend all distinctions of country, religion, caste and creed.
They embrace all beings, as their origin lies right within each individual.
They are the source of compassion, renunciation, rectitude, fortitude and
patience and lead to five ideals of knowledge, skill, balance, vision and
oneness. They are the common link of all spiritual visions running through holy
books of all religions. Mental happiness comes from peace, peace comes from
love, love is linked with non-violence and non-violence is the outcome of
righteous conduct which is inconceivable without truth. One human value without
the other has no meaning.
This unity in diversity must
govern our thoughts, feelings and actions and must form the basis of education
in universal human values and assist our citizens of tomorrow to realise in
full, their physical, vital (emotional), mental (intellectual) and psychic
(spiritual) potential.
The five basic core universal human
values represent the quintessence of the Eastern and Western ethos, consistent
with secularism. This can be appreciated from the following summary of
perceptions by world’s religions and eminent scholars of their content and
effect on human personality:
|
The National Education Policy,
1986 spoke about creating awareness of India’s common cultural heritage, social
justice and compassion, democracy and egalitarianism, secularism, gender
equality, concern for environment, social cohesion and national unity, population
and quality of life, and scientific outlook and spirit of enquiry.
Taking a cue from
Indian history and culture, the following values, culled from our philosophical
traditions which are consistent with similar values in other civilizations, can
be considered in the context of school education. The ancient Indian tradition
recommended the pursuit of three important impersonal values and four personal
values.
IMPERSONAL VALUES
The three impersonal values are
Truth (satyam), Goodness (shivam) and Beauty (sundaram). We are discussing about the impersonal values here:
Many eminent
thinkers believe that in the Divine nature there is no differentiation between
truth, beauty and goodness, though at human level these values are quite
distinct. Some people say that truth, beauty and goodness are not values. These
things can be used for practical interests. One receives knowledge for
knowledge sake, not for the sake of these values. But this argument is
baseless. The sixth and seventh chapters of ²Chhandogya Upanishad” especially dealing with ancient Indian
education, states that to raise knowledge to wisdom is real education. One can
attain wisdom by the realization of truth, beauty and goodness, as a result of
which “the unseen becomes seen”, “the unheard becomes heard”, and “the unknown
becomes known”. These are the ultimate values in education that brings eternal
pleasure to mankind. In the present day society, we have plenty of knowledge in
different branches, but no wisdom. We do not get an opportunity to raise
knowledge to the stage of wisdom through education, one does not get peace.
Life is painful. Hence, the present system of education is criticized by many
philosophers as ‘mis-education’. It is pointless, purposeless and an instrument
for killing the spirit of joy, initiative and love in children. If we can raise
knowledge to the state of wisdom, we can really educate people and achieve the
ultimate values through education.
PERSONAL VALUES (PURUSHARTHAS)
The four personal
values are: Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kama (desire) and Moksha
(self-realisation). These four values are the basis of life in four ashrams- brahmacharya, grahasthashrama, vanaprastha
and sanyasa. The four personal values
are called Purusharthas.
1.
DHARMA (RIGHTEOUSNESS): In Hinduism and especially in the early literature of the Vedas, a
cosmic rule giving things their nature or essence, or in the human context a
set of duties and rules to be performed or followed to maintain social order,
promote general well being, and be righteous. Dharma
is essential in all four ashrams. Dharma can also be considered to be a lens
through which humans plan and perform their interactions with the world. It means "that which
holds" the people of this world and the whole creation. Dharma is the
"law of being" without which things cannot exist.
2.
ARTHA (WEALTH): Artha is a Sanskrit term
meaning "purpose, cause, motive, meaning, notion, wealth, economy or
gain". It refers to the idea of material prosperity. The concept includes achieving
widespread fame, garnering wealth and having an elevated social standing. Artha
is one of the dharmas of a person in the second ashram, the householder stage
and have to accumulate wealth but without being greedy.
3.
KAMA (DESIRE): Kama can broadly be defined as desire,
wish, passion, longing, and pleasure of the senses, the aesthetic enjoyment of
life, affection, or love, without sexual connotations. In the context of the
four goals of life, Kama refers to mental and intellectual fulfillment in accordance
to dharma.
4.
MOKSHA (SELF-REALIZATION, मोक्ष): Moksha is the final extrication of the soul
or consciousness from samsara and the bringing to an end of all the suffering
involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated death and rebirth
(reincarnation), This way we get 'moksha' i.e. liberation from the bondage of
birth and death to finally become one with our Creator.
VALIDATION OF VALUES
The validity/invalidity of values
can be judged intellectually, objectively and scientifically. Values are variable
from time to time and from place to place. But this does not alter in the
slightest degree the validity/invalidity of the values. Values can be validated
through the probable consequences of action in accordance with its dictates.
History of India proves that our
great tradition have given us values of ‘Satya’,
‘Ahimsa’, ‘Aparigraha’, ‘Maitri’, ‘Karuna’, ‘Prem’, ‘Seva’, ‘Tyaga’, etc. But our children do not get
an opportunity to acquire these values. Therefore, the immediate need of our
society is how to help our children to acquire right values like Dharma or righteousness, Artha or economic independence, Karma or emotional satisfaction, Moksha or spiritual realization and
values of democracy, socialism, humanism, secularism, etc. it is the need of
the time to make all possible attempts to inculcate the value oriented
education in the centres of learning. The educators, the educational
administrators and the people as a whole should devote their time and energy to
make the children aware of their time and energy to make the children aware of
their value system.
BASES OF VALUES IN INDIA
In India the system of values is
based upon a religious and spiritual outlook which cares little for the
practical and utilitarian. In the Purushartha
system of values, Moksha gets the
highest priority. Though the possibility of liberation during life is not
denied yet by and large, it is transcendental Moksha as the ultimate goal of life.
In India most of the philosophers
have disclaimed all originality for their views and have put forward their
views as mere comments or elaborations of Vedas, Upanishads, and Bhagwad Gita.
A highly enlightened contemporary thinker like Sri Aurobindo has regarded his
philosophy to be an elaboration of the philosophy of Upanishads. The main
reason for this state of affairs is the fact that according to Indian
philosopher, Truth is eternal and unaffected by the vagaries of Space and Time.
This truth has been revealed in the ancient scriptures. It can be interpreted
but not altered. Therefore, Indian philosophy has not given adequate attention
to the fundamental changes in social, political and economic aspects of modern
life wrought by science and technology. While it is true that the thinkers like
Aurobindo, Radhakrishnan, Gandhi and Bhagwandas have clearly recognized the
value of science and attempted to integrate it with the ancient values, but the
general outlook is by and large tradition bound and it is for the future social
scientists to evaluate how far there can be a synthesis of tradition and
science. As far as Vedas, Upanishads and Gita are concerned these are above
criticism and cannot possibly contain anything wrong. It is also claimed that
what is not in the epic Mahabharata is nowhere.
CAUSE OF DECLINE IN BASIC VALUES
The major reason behind the present cultural anomie is the
incompatibility of the present rural and urban culture systems and congeries.
In the process of acculturation and cultural diffusion the villages always lags
behind the city. Thus, presence of Western value systems in the urban areas and
that of the ancient value systems in the rural areas is quite natural.
One may not agree that the present Indian society is sinking in
the morass of valuelessness but a chaos in value system is only too obvious.
There is a third trend of searching some sort of compromise between these two
types of value systems. This trend is certainly better than the other two but a
compromise is always temporary and transitional, and cannot provide firm ground
for the upsurge of creativity. What India needs today is cultural super system
of spiritual values which may work as a dominant cultural theme for creative
orientation. These spiritual values are truth, beauty, goodness, sublimity,
bliss and the fullest realization of our potentialities.
A sound value system may rest on
a sound psychology. If men were a simple being, a particular value system would
have been sufficient for him being it material or ethical, religious or
secular. But man is a complex being. He has his physical, vital and mental
aspects with their characteristic needs. If the needs of these aspects were
contradictory, man’s future is doomed.
According to Reid, “Education is
a part of life, and clearly our questions about values and education are
inseparably from questions of values and educations are inseparably from
questions of values in life. Values are embodied in educational practice”. Thus
education develops a sense of discrimination between good and bad. This
discrimination is based on values.
Negation of
traditional values and changes in living conditions are the main cause of
value-erosion all over the world. The unprincipled profit making political
activities have divided human society into fragments. Education, instead of
helping students to assimilate higher values of life, has placed them in a
vicious circle. The craze for making money at all costs is the reigning spirit
everywhere. Concentration of wealth in the hands of a few has resulted in
violence, hatred and total unrest. Every incident in life is taken in a casual
way and no one is bothered of principles. The distinction between ends and
means has no meaning in our day to day life.
VALUES IN THE CURRENT SOCIAL
MILIEU
In the present day context of
frequent and often violent social upheavals, we have to look at the problem of
restlessness of the youth, their frustration born out of futility of their
search for meaning of life and the purpose for which they are living, often leading
to evil and wickedness. When we think of development of nation, we have to
think not only of the standard of life which means fighting poverty, but also
of the quality of life.
Values are positive when one
appreciates and willingly accepts quality of something. Negative values relate
to experiences that we would like to avoid. In common parlance, religious,
intellectual, moral and some of the social values are often referred to as
higher and positive values. Higher values are of the mind or of the spirit.
Material and bodily values are lower values.
Society consists
of peoples of all social strata, with plenty of variations in lifestyles. The
social mores of one section may not be acceptable to some others. The society
is a highly mobile, nebulous entity, volatile at times, mostly peaceful. The
media has taken over in all its ramifications: print, electronic, satellite,
audio, video. Seemingly there has been a tremendous impact of the West. Young and old generations, both alike are
involved in the erosion value. It is against this background that values will
emerge. Values will have to be a part of the socioeconomic and sociopolitical
milieu of a given social system.
In the last 50 years,
international cross currents and internal happenings have been shaping the
ethos of generations of articulate youth. The values of the latest generation
of articulate Indian youth are similar to those of the youth in advanced
countries. Changes bring forth restlessness and diversion. These have their
influence upon social values. Any change, either in behavioural design or any
relational change, takes a positive role in the society in moulding the social
man. The school is a significant altar of transmission and revaluation of
cultures, traditions and social values.
A look at some newspaper may help
us crystallize our thinking. These have been culled from The Telegraph, The Hindu and The Times of India.
·
2 more girls
fall victim to rape within family
·
Bomb
attacks, 20 dead
·
Teacher
molests student
·
Death and
torture
·
Mentally ill
lodged in jails despite norms
At present our universities and
colleges are ravaged by petty factionalism and violent emotions. It is an irony
of fate that students of these institutions have no respect towards their
teachers. The teachers are not prepared to accept the age old values in
teaching and learning. In the same way parents have little time to train their
children in social virtues. The psychological requirements of children are
conveniently forgotten. The classrooms have become gymnasiums for unhealthy
competitions. Education has degenerated to a type of commercial activity. There
is neither professional competence nor commitment to excellence.
IMPLICATIONS
It is essential that right from
the earliest school stage,
deliberate, planned and sustained efforts are made to inculcate basic human
values among children. School is the period in the life of an individual when
seeds of right values need to be implanted in their impressionable mind so that
they grow emotionally, ethically and spiritually into responsible human being.
The role of teacher in developing desirable values among students is very
significant. Perhaps the teacher will have to be a model for the students. Some
steps to be taken at home are as follows:
· Switch off the TV and talk more.
· Communicate with each other.
· Encourage use of social
lubricants- ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ which will develop politeness.
· Emphasis on values through
teaching scholastic subjects.
· Finishing schools for senior
students.
A teacher who lives by values exercises
a profound influence on students. Prof. Kireet Joshi emphasizes, “The secret of
teaching values is to inspire and kindle the quest among students by means of
one’s own examples and mastery of knowledge. Value orientation should not be
conceived as an encounter of series of do’s and don’ts
REMEDIES FOR VALUE EROSION
In the present
context of things, value-erosion has no effective remedy. The malady is deep
seated cancerous and calls for immediate surgical intervention. The sooner it
is done, the better. The task is really difficult because it requires a
thorough reconstruction of the present system of education. They must also have
a commitment for moulding a new value oriented society. The emphasis must be
for an open mind, a pure heart and a compassion for fellow brothers including
the common masses. The fact remains that people all over the world are in
revolt against a value-free style of life. This aspect makes it a compelling
necessity to change the parameters and inputs of value education in favour of
moral and cultural advancement. We must never forget the fact that our material
well being has its secure basis in moral foundation.
Value education can be imparted
through the following methods, approaches and materials:
·
Direct
method: instruction in values can be given by an experienced and competent
teacher of the school, a retired Headmaster, or a spiritual leader.
·
Indirect
Method: Value based themes can be integrated or incorporated at appropriate
points in different subjects such as Language, Science, Mathematics, etc.
·
Incidental
Approach: Specific values can be imparted on appropriate occasions.
·
Value
Clarification Approach: In this approach the teacher is not an expert on
values. He is to create an atmosphere for the students which will help them to
explore values, clarify their doubts, choose appropriate values, internalize
the values and behave accordingly.
CONCLUSION
Jacques Delor, the chairman of
the UNESCO commission on, Education for the 21st century, mentions
about the four pillars of education as the basic objectives of education for 21st
century. They are:
1.
Learning to
be.
2.
Learning to
know.
3.
Learning to
do.
4.
Learning to
live together.
The greatest problem facing the
world today is the deterioration of human values and practices. The child of
today does not know the difference between right and wrong or good and bad. The
youth of today do not know how to live together and how to cater to the needs
of others in society. With the advent of nuclear families, the relationships
between and among elders and the young generation, parents and children,
teachers and students, etc. have been diminished which led to the development
of negative relationship, unhealthy and unsystematic relations and practices.
The problem of adjustment is considered as the most important barrier to human
development and strengthening of human relationships. Hence, in order to create
a human society and to inject the good values and virtues in children, the
teachers and parents should strive hard. “Education
shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial
or religious groups and shall further the activities in maintaining world peace”-
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The grave crisis
of moral and ethical values that we face today is reflected in an alarming rise
of discontent and frustration among school students around the globe. Modern
education seems to have divorced from objective of joy and happiness in life.
It has been divested of creative activity and has become a puppet of power
politics. A value approach to teaching and learning creates stability and
empowers the individuals to be in control of his/her reactions to situations
that otherwise could create a negative reaction. The country faces crisis in
social, political and economic fields but the one which deeply concerns
education is the moral aspect. It is essential to develop value education among
students, qualities that make them socially effective and happy in various
social settings and must be an integral part of school curriculum. Positive
values like honesty, truthfulness, dependability, courtesy, fearlessness and
compassion help us to behave congenially with others and inspire us to be able
to make sacrifices for the good of others and for a cause.
Teachers have to
develop modules and programmes for students to take active part in creative
activities including music, dance, drama, arts and crafts and help them to
develop an attitude of critical thinking. If we succeed in provoking policy
makers and educationists to change their mindsets and start implementing some
result-oriented, time bound plans of action for imparting values and ethics to
school children then value education is possible and can be made effective.
REFERENCES
Chandra, Vikas (2006), Rethinking Education, JOURNAL OF VALUE
EDUCATION, Vol. 6, No. 1&2.
Ksheerasagar, Surekha (March, 2010), Value Oriented Education- Need Of The Hour, EDUTRACKS, Vol. 9, No. 7, Neelkamal publications Pvt. Ltd.,
Hyderabad, 15-19.
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