MES01: UNDERSTANDING EDUCATION

Critically analyse the constitutional provisions of Education in India and discuss how these constitutional
provisions play an important role in the development of modern India.

Education is the basis of development and empowerment for every nation.

With the establishment of our Constitution in 1950, our great leaders paved way for constitutional
provisions regarding education in India. These are in accordance with our social political economic and
cultural climate.

Below are given constitutional provisions on Education:

ADVERTISEMENTS:

1. Free and Compulsory Education:

The Constitution makes the following provisions under Article 45 of
the Directive Principles of State Policy that, “The state shall endeavour
to provide within a period of ten years from the commencement of this
Constitution, for free and compulsory Education for all children until
they complete the age of fourteen years.”

The expression ‘State’ which occurs in this Article is defined in Article

12 to include “The Government and Parliament of India and the
Government and the Legislature of each of the States and all local or
other authorities within the territory of India or under the control of
the Government of India.” It is clearly directed in Article 45 of the
Constitution that the provision of Universal, Free and Compulsory
Education becomes the joint responsibility of the Centre and the
States.

1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
In the Constitution it was laid down that within 10 years, i.e., by 1960
universal compulsory education must be provided for all children up
to the age of 14, But unfortunately, this directive could not be fulfilled.
Vigorous efforts are needed to achieve the target of 100 percent
primary education. The Central Government needs to make adequate
financial provisions for the purpose. At the present rate of progress it
may, however, be expected that this directive may be fulfilled by the
end of this century.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

2. Education of Minorities:
Article 30 of the Indian Constitution relates to certain cultural and
educational rights to establish and administer educational institutions.

It lays down:
(i) All minorities whether based on religion or language, shall have the
right to establish and administer educational institutions of their
choice.

(ii) The state shall not, in granting aid to educational institutions,

discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it
is under the management of a minority, whether based on religion or
language.

3. Language Safeguards:
Article 29(1) states “Any section of the citizen, residing in the territory
of India or any part there of having a distinct language, script or
culture of its own, hall have the right to conserve the same.” Article
1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
350 B provides for the appointment of special officer for linguistic
minorities to investigate into all matters relating to safeguards
provided for linguistic minorities under the Constitution.

4. Education for Weaker Sections:

Article 15, 17, 46 safeguard the educational interests of the weaker
sections of the Indian Community, that is, socially and educationally
backward classes of citizens and scheduled castes and scheduled
tribes. Article 15 states, “Nothing in this article or in clause (2) of
Article 29 shall prevent the state from making any special provision
for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward
classes of citizens or for the scheduled castes and the scheduled
tribes.”

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Under Article 46 of the Constitution, the federal government is

responsible for the economic and educational development of the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes

It states. “The state shall promote with special care the educational
and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people and in
particular, of the Scheduled castes and Scheduled Tribes and shall
protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.” It is
one of the Directive Principles of State Policy.

5. Secular Education:
India is a secular country. It is a nation where spirituality based on
religion, had always been given a high esteem. Under the Constitution,
1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
minorities, whether based on religion or language, are given full rights
to establish educational institutions of their choice. Referring to the
constitutional provisions that religious instructions given in
institutions under any endowment or Trust, should not be interfered
with even if such institutions are helped the State.

Article 25 (1) of the Constitution guarantees all the citizens the right to
have freedom of conscience and the right to profess, practice and
propagate religion.

Article 28 (1) states, “No religious instruction shall be provided in any

educational institution if wholly maintained out of state fund.”

Article 28 (2) states, “Nothing in clause (1) shall apply to an

educational institution which is administered by the State but has
been established under any endowment or Trust which requires that
religious instruction shall be imparted to such institution.”

Article 28 (3) states, “No person attending any educational institution

by the state or receiving aid out of state funds, shall be required to take
part in any religious instruction that may be imported in such
institutions or to attend any religious worship that may be conducted
in such institution or in any premises attached thereto unless such
person or, if such person a minor, his guardian has given his consent
thereto.”

Article 30 states, “The state shall not, in granting aid to educational

institution maintained by the State or receiving aid out of State funds,
on grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them.”
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6. Equality of Opportunity in Educational Institutions:
Article 29(1) states “No citizen shall be denied admission into any
educational institution maintained by the State or receiving aid out of
State funds, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of
them.”

The Fundamental Rights of the Indian Constitution has also adopted

the fourfold ideal of justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Our
Constitution laid down that in the eyes of law, everyone should have
an equal status, to no one the justice be denied, everyone should have
liberty of thought, expression.

The fundamental right of equality clearly signifies that in the eyes of

law no distinction can be made on the basis of any position, caste,
class or creed. Side by side the right of equality of opportunities to all
is also provided. The equality of opportunity is meaningless, unless
there are equal opportunities for one’s education.

The well-known Kothari Commission, 1964-66 recommended that

Central Government should undertake the responsibility in education
for the equalization of educational opportunities with special reference
to the reduction of inter-state differences and the advancement of the
weaker section of the community.

7. Instruction in Mother -Tongue:

There is diversity of languages in our country. After the dawn of
Independence, Mother- Tongues have received special emphasis as
medium of instruction and subjects of study. In the Constitution of

1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
India, it has been laid down that the study of one’s own language is a
fundamental right of the citizens.

Article 26 (1) states, “Any section of the citizens, residing in the

territory of India or any part there of, having a distinct language, script
or culture of its own, shall have the right to converse the same.”

Article 350 A directs, “It shall he endeavour of every state and every
local authority to provide adequate facilities for instruction in the
mother-tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging
to linguistic minority groups.”

Secondary Education Commission, 1952-53 recommended that the

mother tongue or the regional language should generally be the
medium of instruction throughout secondary school stage subject to
the provision that for linguistic minorities, special facilities should be
made available. Kothori Commission, 1964-66 has also said that at
college and university stage, mother-tongue should be the medium.
The medium of instruction at school level is already mother-tongue.
This is not a new proposal.

8. Promotion of Hindi:
The Indian Constitution makes provision for the development and
promotion of Hindi as national language. Article 351 enjoins the
Union, the duty to promote the spread of the Hindi language.

Hindi accepted as the Official Language of India as laid

down by the Constitution in following words:

1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
“It shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi
language, to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression
of all the elements of the composite culture of India.” In practice,
Hindi is already largely in use as a link language for the country. The
educational system should contribute to the acceleration of this
process in order to facilitate the movement of student and teacher and
to strengthen national Unity.

9. Higher Education and Research:

Parliament has the exclusive rights to enact legislation in respect of
institutions and Union Agencies mentioned in entries 63, 64, 65, and
66 of List. The entries which give authority to the Government of India
in education are mentioned below:

Entry 63 of the Union List:

The institutions known at the commencement of this Constitution as
the Banaras Hindu University, the Aligarh Muslim and the Delhi
University, and any other institution declared by Parliament by law to
be an Institution of National importance.

Entry 66 of the Union List:

Co-ordination and determination of standards in institution for higher
education or research and scientific and technical institutions.

10. Women’s Education:

One of the unique features of Modem Indian Education is the
tremendous advancement of Women’s Education. Education of the
girls is considered to be more important than that of the boys.

1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
The Constitution makes the following provisions under
different articles:
Article 15(1) provides that the State shall not discriminate any citizen
on groups only of sex.

Article 15 (3) reads: ”Nothing in this article shall prevent the State
from making any special provision for women and children.”

The well-known National Policy on Education was concerned about

the status and education of women in the country. It envisages that
education would be used as a strategy for achieving a basic change in
the status of women. It opined that the national system of education
must play a positive role in this direction.

The Policy states, “Education will be used as an agent of basic change

in the status of women. In order to neutralize the accumulated
distortions of the past, there will be a well conceived edge in favour of
women.”

11. Education in the Union Territories:

Article 239 of the Constitution states, “Save as otherwise provided by
Parliament by Law, every Union Territory shall be administrator by
the president acting to such extent as he thinks fit through an
administrator to be appointed by him with such designation as he may
specify.”

12. Educational and cultural relations with foreign

countries:

1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
Entry 13 of the Union List reads. Participation in international
conferences, associations and other bodies and implementing
decisions made there at.

1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
Explain the concept of ‘Education’ Differentiate it from the concept of ‘Schooling’ and ‘Learning’

The word education comes from the word ‘educere’ which literally translates to ‘to lead out’

Education is a relentless process therefore of becoming 1

Hence to put it in perspective, education is the process in which society deliberately transmits its
accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another. This process has a profound
formative effect on mind, character and physical ability of the individual sought through experience and
formal processes.

Now let us understand:

Education is a process, it is sequential and affects development at various stages.

Deliberate transmission by society refers to a passage of information skills and values that has societal
approval and in manner helps society to propagate itself.

Education brings about an inherent and permanent change in a person's thinking and capacity to do
things.

Completing a diploma or even a masters course does not necessarily imply that a person is educated; it
is rather a more superficial concept of education. For qualification and courses to be effective education
there needs to be permanent change in the cognitive, physical and psychological domain.

Schooling and learning are usually synonymously used as many people believe that learning happens in
school In their book, On being a teacher: The human dimension, Kottler, Zehm, & Kottler (2005) suggest
that schooling is strictly structured and requires students to conform to a set list of rules and a set
curriculum for each class they attend. Learning is a natural process that is self-motivated by the learner
and includes the search for fresh ideas, new information, new challenges and meanings while gaining
experiences. Though schooling and learning are very different, they often happen at the same time and
are indistinguishable.

Reflections into the differences have led me to the following conclusions.

In school teachers and school authority generally teach following instruction, responsibility and how to
be respectful citizens. This is easily measures and assessed by simple observation of students. It is also
an extrinsic process outwardly motivated by teachers praise, or tangible rewards. Schooling results are
contingent on the teacher (authority) or reward and can be turned on or off i.e. a student can choose
whether to adhere to rules etc.

Conversely, learning in its true sense is harder to measure and therefore assess as it is intrinsically

1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
 motivated and occurs at different places. Unlike schooling it cannot be turned off , attention to an
understanding or skills can waver based on interests until all content is learned or a new idea piques the
interest and diverts their attention.

Now examining education and learning, while learning is the basic instinct possessed by all individuals
education is acquired by individuals. Learning is an ongoing process from that take place from birth to
death, while education is sought at one or many points in one’s life. Learning is an informal process and
education is a formal process. Learning is knowledge gained through experience, and education is
knowledge gained through teaching. Education is something that an individual gets from an outside
source. On the other hand, learning is something that evolves in the inner self.

Discuss different approaches children follow to acquire new knowledge or construct new knowledge.

Constructivism as a paradigm or worldview posits that learning is an active,

constructive process. The learner is an information constructor. People actively
construct or create their own subjective representations of objective reality. New
information is linked to to prior knowledge, thus mental representations are
subjective.

CONTENTS

Contributors
Key Concepts
Resources and References

CONTRIBUTORS
 Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky (1896 – 1943)[1]
 Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980)[2]
 John Dewey (1859 – 1952)
 Jerome Seymour Bruner (1915 – 2016)

1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
KEY CONCEPTS
A reaction to didactic approaches such as behaviorism and programmed
instruction, constructivism states that learning is an active, contextualized
process of constructing knowledge rather than acquiring it. Knowledge is
constructed based on personal experiences and hypotheses of the environment.
Learners continuously test these hypotheses through social negotiation. Each
person has a different interpretation and construction of knowledge process. The
learner is not a blank slate (tabula rasa) but brings past experiences and cultural
factors to a situation[3][4].

NOTE: A common misunderstanding regarding constructivism is that instructors

should never tell students anything directly but, instead, should always allow
them to construct knowledge for themselves. This is actually confusing a theory
of pedagogy (teaching) with a theory of knowing. Constructivism assumes that all
knowledge is constructed from the learner’s previous knowledge, regardless of
how one is taught. Thus, even listening to a lecture involves active attempts to
construct new knowledge.

Vygotsky’s social development theory is one of the foundations for

constructivism.

ake a minute to ponder some of what you know and how you
acquired that knowledge. Perhaps you know that you should
make your bed in the morning because your mother or father
told you this is what you should do, perhaps you know that
swans are white because all of the swans you have seen are
white, or perhaps you know that your friend is lying to you
because she is acting strange and won’t look you in the eye.
But should we trust knowledge from these sources? The

1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
methods of acquiring knowledge can be broken down into five
categories each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
INTUITION

AUTHORITY

RATIONALISM

Rationalism involves using logic and reasoning to acquire new

knowledge. Using this method premises are stated and logical
rules are followed to arrive at sound conclusions. For
instance, if I am given the premise that all swans are white
and the premise that this is a swan then I can come to the
rational conclusion that this swan is white without actually
seeing the swan. The problem with this method is that if the
premises are wrong or there is an error in logic then the
conclusion will not be valid. For instance, the premise that all
swans are white is incorrect; there are black swans in
Australia. Also, unless formally trained in the rules of logic it
is easy to make an error. Nevertheless, if the premises are
correct and logical rules are followed appropriately then this is
sound means of acquiring knowledge.
EMPIRICISM

Empiricism involves acquiring knowledge through

observation and experience. Once again many of you may
have believed that all swans are white because you have only
ever seen white swans. For centuries people believed the
world is flat because it appears to be flat. These examples and
the many visual illusions that trick our senses illustrate the
problems with relying on empiricism alone to derive
knowledge. We are limited in what we can experience and
observe and our senses can deceive us. Moreover, our prior

1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
experiences can alter the way we perceive events.
Nevertheless, empiricism is at the heart of the scientific
method. Science relies on observations. But not just any
observations, science relies on structured observations which
is known as systematic empiricism.
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

The scientific method is a process of systematically collecting

and evaluating evidence to test ideas and answer questions.
While scientists may use intuition, authority, rationalism, and
empiricism to generate new ideas they don’t stop there.
Scientists go a step further by using systematic empiricism to
make careful observations under various controlled
conditions in order to test their ideas and they use rationalism
to arrive at valid conclusions. While the scientific method is
the most likely of all of the methods to produce valid
knowledge, like all methods of acquiring knowledge it also has
its drawbacks. One major problem is that it is not always
feasible to use the scientific method; this method can require
considerable time and resources. Another problem with the
scientific method is that it cannot be used to answer all
questions. As described in the following section, the scientific
method can only be used to address empirical questions. This
book and your research methods course are designed to
provide you with an in-depth examination of how
psychologists use the scientific method to advance our
understanding of human behavior and the mind.

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MES 012 –

Discuss various sources of obtaining knowledge , describe how

knowledge is validated

Life experiencesing

Here one can argue that there are two sometimes paradoxical
notions that enable one to acquire knowledge, firsrt be

The first method of knowing is intuition. When we use our

intuition, we are relying on our guts, our emotions, and/or our
instincts to guide us. Rather than examining facts or using
rational thought, intuition involves believing what feels true.
The problem with relying on intuition is that our intuitions
can be wrong because they are driven by cognitive and
motivational biases rather than logical reasoning or scientific
evidence. While the strange behavior of your friend may lead
you to think s/he is lying to you it may just be that s/he is
holding in a bit of gas or is preoccupied with some other issue
that is irrelevant to you. However, weighing alternatives and
thinking of all the different possibilities can be paralyzing for
some people and sometimes decisions based on intuition are
actually superior to those based on analysis (people interested
in this idea should read Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink) . [1]

Authority

Perhaps one of the most common methods of acquiring

knowledge is through authority. This method involves
accepting new ideas because some authority figure states that
they are true. These authorities include parents, the media,
1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
doctors, Priests and other religious authorities, the
government, and professors. While in an ideal world we
should be able to trust authority figures, history has taught us
otherwise and many instances of atrocities against humanity
are a consequence of people unquestioningly following
authority (e.g., Salem Witch Trials, Nazi War Crimes). On a
more benign level, while your parents may have told you that
you should make your bed in the morning, making your bed
provides the warm damp environment in which mites thrive.
Keeping the sheets open provides a less hospitable
environment for mites. These examples illustrate that the
problem with using authority to obtain knowledge is that they
may be wrong, they may just be using their intuition to arrive
at their conclusions, and they may have their own reasons to
mislead you. Nevertheless, much of the information we
acquire is through authority because we don’t have time to
question and independently research every piece of
knowledge we learn through authority. But we can learn to
evaluate the credentials of authority figures, to evaluate the
methods they used to arrive at their conclusions, and evaluate
whether they have any reasons to mislead us.

Customs and beliefs

Deduction and inductive reasoning

Scientific method 9 inductive and deductive method)

Social science inquiry method

1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
Gandhian philosophy

Mahatma Gandhi’s aim of education was to bring out the best in a student by working
on various aspects. He believed that education must be such that it develops a student
mentally, physically, morally, aesthetically and spiritually.

People should be Educated, Not Just Literate

The term literacy is often used synonymously with education. It is often said that we
need to increase the literacy rate for the growth and development of the country.
However, Gandhi ji did not conform to this idea. He believed that literacy alone
cannot help.

He emphasized the need to understand the difference between education and literacy
and promoted education. He said that merely teaching children to read and write and
learn different subjects would not help. They need to be trained thoroughly to
understand various other aspects and grow at a deeper level.

Education Tools Suggested by Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi ji strongly believed that a child can truly develop if we educate him properly
and try to bring out the best in him. For doing so he suggested various tools. One of
the main tools suggested by Gandhi ji to ensure better understanding of the subject
was to focus on practical knowledge rather than theoretical knowledge. He believed
that this was a good way to invoke the student’s interest in the subject and provide
greater understanding about the same.

Gandhi ji also emphasized upon teaching the students in their mother tongue. He
believed that students can understand a subject better if it is taught in their mother
tongue. As per him, this will bring in clarity of thoughts and ideas. Besides this way
students would not only be able to understand better but will also be able to express
their ideas and views with ease. The classroom sessions would thus become more
interactive and interesting.

Gandhi ji also believed that education must build a student’s character and not just
impart knowledge on different subjects. He said that the students must be made
socially aware from the beginning. Social awareness must be given to the students in
school.

He also appealed to use non-violent ways to teach and train students so that they enjoy
their sessions and look forward to them rather than staying in constant fear of the
teacher.
1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
 Conclusion

Thus, Gandhi’s aim of education was simple. It was basically the all round
development of the students and he suggested many tools and principles for the same.

Essay on Main Principles of Gandhi’s Educational Philosophy – Essay 4 (500 words)

Introduction

Gandhi ji’s educational philosophy has been widely appreciated and accepted. He had
a very practical view on education and believed it should work on developing every
aspect of a person and not just help him to read and write. He talked at length about
the kind of education the Indian schools should render to their students.

Main Principles of Gandhi’s Educational Philosophy

Here are the main principles of Gandhi’s educational philosophy:

 All Round Development

Gandhi ji stated that the main aim of education should be to draw the best out of a
person’s mind, body and soul. This is to say that he must not only develop at the
mental level but also at physical, spiritual, aesthetic and intellectual level. The aim
should not just be to provide literacy but to develop the students in every aspect.

 Free Compulsory Education

Gandhiji believed that education can change a person for good and also help in the
development of the nation. Since many people in our country cannot afford to educate
their children, he suggested free education for the children aged 7 to 14 years. He also
suggested that education should become compulsory.

 Mother Tongue as the Medium of Instructions

Gandhi ji believed that our mother tongue must be the medium of instruction for
education. This would help in better understanding and clarity of ideas. It would also
help in better expression of ideas and promote interactive session.

 Craft Centred Education

1. V.Narayan Karan Reddy, (1979) Man Education and Values, New Delhi: B.R. Publication, at 50
 Gandhi ji believed that handicraft was the means to develop the mind as well as soul.
Thus, schools must not focus on theoretical knowledge. They must instead introduce
craft from the pre-primary classes. This would help in invoking creativity, innovation
and also enhance the mind-hand coordination among the various other benefits.

 Creed of Non-Violence

As per Gandhi ji, it was essential to apply the principle of non-violence while
educating and training the students for their proper development. The use of violence
invokes the feeling of fear and does not give the freedom of expression to the
students. It hampers a child’s creativity.

 Emphasis on Practice rather than Theory

The Indian education gives importance to theoretical knowledge and practical

knowledge takes a back seat. Gandhi ji stressed upon giving practical lessons to the
students as he believed that this helps in active participation of the students in the
class. On the other hand, during theoretical sessions students are just passive listeners
and tend to lose interest in the lecture every now and then. Practical sessions help in
creating a better understanding of the subject.

 Social Awareness and Service

Gandhi ji believed that it is important for everyone to be socially aware. This must be
taught from the very beginning. Besides, love for motherland must also be invoked
among students. They must be encouraged to live in coordination with their fellow
citizens and help them whenever need be. Schools must conduct special programs to
promote the same.

Conclusion

Gandhi’s educational philosophy was quite progressive. Adopting his philosophies

can bring about a positive change in the Indian education system.
Aurobindo philosophy

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