MAHA

RAJA
SURAJ
Affliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
MAL
INSTIT
UTE

2020-2022
BED-104
HISTORICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION
TOPIC- BASIC EDUCATION

Teacher In-charge: Submitted by:

Dr. Usha Rani Malik Shiwani Kumari
Enrollment No:
07214902120
 BASIC EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

 The Government of India Act, 1935 came into force in 1937. According to the Act,
Congress Ministries were formed in seven provinces in India.
  Prior to this Congress had been strongly pleading for free, compulsory and universal
education. After having the power the Congress had to implement it in action.
  Gandhiji was the leading figure of the Indian political scene and he came forward to
meet the situation. Gandhiji was fully conversant with the deplorable condition of
education in the land. For improving this condition he advocated a scheme of primary
education based on Indian traditional culture through the medium of mother tongue.
But this required a huge sum of money which meant fresh taxation. 
 The situation was further complicated as Mahatma Gandhi promised to introduce total
prohibition which again meant the loss of a huge amount of revenue. Congress was
committed to both ‘prohibition and compulsion’. 
 To end this dilemma Gandhiji put forward the proposal that the plan of mass
education need not be held up for want of funds. Free and compulsory primary
education could be given to every child if the process of schooling could be made
self-supporting by imparting education through a useful and productive craft.
  Gandhiji expressed his views on education through a series of articles in ‘Harijan’ in
June 31, 1937, which later on developed into the Wardha Scheme of Basic Education.
The views of Gandhiji created controversies in the academic circles. Therefore it was
desirable to get the scheme examined by experts and educationists. 
 Finally, Gandhiji placed his Basic Education System to the nation in the Wardha
Conference in 1937.

MEANING AND PHILOSOPHY OF BASIC EDUCATION

The word ‘Basic’ is derived from the word ‘base’ which means the bottom or the foundation
of a thing upon which the whole thing rests or is made of. Mahatma Gandhi wanted to make
the foundation of the educational edifice strong. It is with this objective that he put forward
this scheme. This scheme of education is based on the national culture and civilization of
India. It aims at making a child self-reliant by enabling him to use his acquired knowledge
and skills in practical affairs of life.

 Basic education has close relationship with the basic needs and interest of the education as
the child is the focal point of education. The central point of this scheme is some handicraft,
whose teaching will enable the student to solve the problems of his livelihood and at the same
time develop qualities of good citizenship. In Gandhiji’s view, sound education must be
rooted in the culture and life of the soil and therefore he strongly pleads for relating education
to the environment.
For Gandhi mere literacy is not the end of education not even the beginning. It is only one of
the means by which man and woman can be educated. Therefore, he attaches little value to
literacy in his scheme of education.

PRINCIPLES OF BASIC EDUCATION

1. Principle of free and compulsory education:- Gandhiji regarded education as the

basic right of human being. From 7 to 14 years of age, education of each child should
be free, compulsory, and universal.
2. Principle of making education self-supporting:- Gandhiji laid importance on the
self-supporting aspect of basic education and emphasized on making the education of
some craft compulsory in the schools.
3. Principle of truth, non-violence and sarvodaya:- For gandhiji truth was subordinate
to non-violence. There will be no difference between the rich and the poor in basic
education, no one will exploit other and everyone will get an equal opportunity for
self-progress.
4. Principle of linking education with life:- Gandhiji emphasized on relating the
education with the natural and social environment of the children and with the
domestic and regional trades and industries. Thus, education could be well integrated
with the practical life of the children.
 FEATURES OF BASIC EDUCATION

Self-supporting aspect of the Scheme:

The self-supporting aspect of the scheme may be interpreted in two ways— 

(a) Education that will help one to be self-supporting in later life, 
(b) Education which in itself is self-supporting. .

Medium of instruction:

One of the resolutions that were adopted at the All India National Conference at Wardha was
that education must be imparted through the mother tongue. 

Ideal of citizenship:

Another important feature of the basic scheme is the ideal of citizenship which is implicit in
it. It aimed at giving the citizens of the future a keen sense of personal growth, dignity and
efficiency and social services in a cooperative community. The Zakir Hussain Committee
envisaged that the new generation must at least have an opportunity of understanding their
own problems and rights and obligations. A completely new system is necessary to secure
the minimum of education for the intelligent exercise of the rights and duties of citizens.

Flexible Curriculum and free Environment:

The flexibility of the curriculum and free environment for the child to perform according to
his own capacity are other remarkable features of basic education. Under this scheme the
teachers and students are free to work according to their interest and there is no compulsion
for completing a prescribed portion due to fear of examinations.

Free and compulsory education:

Gandhiji wanted education to be free and compulsory for all boys and girls between the ages
of seven to fourteen. He evolved a scheme of education which would be in harmony with the
culture and civilization of the Indian people and which would solve the problem of mass
education in a practical way.

Education Through Craft:

The basic idea of this scheme is to impart education through some craft or productive work.
Craft work helps the child to acquire sensor and motor co-ordination and to appreciate the
value of honest labor. Gandhiji was of the opinion that the method of training the mind
through village handicraft from the beginning as the central focus would promote the real,
disciplined development of the mind.   

 
MERITS OF BASIC EDUCATION

 The system was able to remove class and caste distinction. It helps to bring social
solidarity and national integration.

 It also removes the barriers between the educated and the non-educated, between
manual work and intellectual work, between the rich and the poor and village and the
town.

 Basic education is activity-centered education. The child is not a passive learner but
an active participant in the learning process. It fosters learning by doing. Thus,
instruction is not passive, and the child learns through a productive and useful craft.

 Basic education is child-centric. The child is the center of activity. It primarily

considered the constructive and creative instincts of children.

 Basic education is based on sound educational principle of correlation, where all

educational activities are correlated to a basic craft. Correlation also takes place
between physical environment, social environment and craft work.

 The system is based upon the cultural and social heritage of the land. As such, it
inculcates social and moral values in the minds of the students.

 It is truly an education for the whole man. It aims at a harmonious development of the
 body, mind and soul.

DE-MERITS OF BASIC EDUCATION

 The self-supporting aspect of Basic Education received severe criticism in the

academic circle. Teachers, social leaders and educational administrators had shown
an indifferent attitude towards it. Moreover, teachers had to depend upon the
earnings of the students. This had a demoralizing effect on teacher-pupil relationship.
 Too much emphasis on craft had led the neglect of liberal education. Very often the
craft is not properly selected from the point of view of education and social
significance and teaching through craft had become just a slogan.
 Basic Education is often regarded as inferior type of education meant for the poor
villagers. It has nothing to do with the urban people, who usually sent their children
to modern type of schools. 
 Basic Education can in no way help in the progress of modern scientific and
technological development of the society, which was the need of the day. Rapid
changes and modernization of our society can only be possible through the
application of modern science and technology in the fields and factories.

IMPACT OF BASIC EDUCATION

The basic education was first of all implemented in U.P and is still in operation. But the
reality is quite contrary to what is set out to be in schools and departmental offices, only the
term basic is being used. Neither the curriculum is followed, nor is there any provision to
teach the basic crafts. Even teaching is not carried out through integrated method. One
remarkable thing which emerges from the scenario is that the children being educated in
basic schools feel themselves inferior to the children being educated in public school. It is
also true that there is virtually no comparison between the basic schools and public school.

CONCLUSION

The concept of Basic Education as an educational theory and practice in unique and
unquestionable. But its implementation was far from satisfactory. Thus, it is quite justified
to say that the fundamental principles of basic education are still valid and fruitful in the
context of our present educational reform. They are relevant to be used as guiding principles
of modern education. In fact, it needs to be reformed on modern lines then it may serve as
one of the most interesting and fruitful techniques of instruction at elementary stage

.REFERENCES

 https://www.jstor.org/stable/23082764?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
 http://www.kkhsou.in/main/education/wardha.html
 https://oureducare.com/education/gandhi-basic-education/
 HISTORICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION-
BY SUMAN LATA.