EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF

MAHATAMA GANDHI
 BRIEF LIFE SKETCH
• Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi, popularly known as ‘Bapu’
or ‘Mahatma’ .
• Father of the Nation
• A great educator
• A nation builder
• A political leader
• A social worker
• A writer
 Philosophy of life

• Human Unity
• Truth
• non violence
• Love
• Brotherhood of man
• Sathyagraha
• Spiritual nature of individual
 CONCEPT OF EDUCATION

• All round drawing out of the best in child and

man- body, mind and spirit.
• The function of education is to bring about a
harmonious development of all the four
aspects of the human personality, viz, body,
heart, mind and spirit.
 CURRICULUM
• Basic craft in accordance with local conditions;
• -Mother tongue, arithmetic, social studies,
general science including nature study, botany,
zoology, art work, hygiene, chemistry, music
and domestic science for girls.
 CONCEPT OF DISCIPLINE
• Real freedom comes through self-
discipline
The contribution of Gandhiji to
Education
 Gandhiji’s concept of education
includes harmonious development of
all aspects of the human personality

• Physical development- A sound mind exists in

a sound body. Hence Gandhiji attached a lot of
importance to physical development through
sports , play and productive activities
• Intellectual development -Educational
experiences must cater to the intellectual
development of the person . Personality
development is linked with education through
work experience , productivity and the
process of socialisation
• Spiritual development - education
should draw out and stimulate the
spiritual aspects of a child as much as
intellectual and physical aspects.
 Aims of education according to
Gandhiji
• Education should be self supporting.
• It must enable one to earn a living and
thus cut the root of unemployment.
• Preservation of our culture should be an
important aim of education. Culture must
pervade all aspects of human behaviour
• Character building must be an important aim
of education. Strength, courage , virtues and
the ability to be selfless are all aspects of
character.
• Gandhiji emphasised on the all round
development of the three H’s ---- Head , Heart
and Hand.
• Education should help to cultivate higher
values in life such as moral , aesthetic, social
and spiritual values and to practise self
restraint , self realisation , self insight and self
analysis
Gandhiji advocated craft centered curriculum to
train man by development of his soul.
 Teacher
• The teacher is an example by his or her
attitudes and values .
• The teacher should help the pupil to
distinguish between truth and false, good and
bad .
• The teacher should provide a free & fearless
learning environment
 Text books
• Do not load the child with books. The teacher
is the real text book. Text books should be
suitable for Indian context. For primary oral
education is enough as the child learns more
by observation
 Gandhiji’s Wardha Scheme of
education
• Free and compulsory education up to the
age of fourteen years. Primary and
secondary education to be combined .
• At the age of fourteen the child is
equipped with effective literacy and
control over senses
• Self reliance will be the aim of education.
After seven years of education the child is a
productive member of society.
Unemployment will be eradicated.
• Productive work as spinning , weaving ,
pottery , basket making will be the centre
around which all subjects are centred.
Emphasis will be on co operation , planning
and accuracy
 Mother tongue to be the medium of
instruction

• Only mother tongue facilitates natural

expression. Forcing a foreign language
leads to waste of time and energy and is
un psychological
 Psychological principles of Basic
Education

• Psychological principles of Basic Education

Learning by doing Play and creative work,
Utilisation of instincts, Co relation Life
centered education, Love and sympathy
VIVEKANANDA
AUROBINDO GHOSH (1872 -1950)
 BRIEF LIFE – SKETCH
• Sri Aurobindo – Born in
Calcutta on 15th August in
1872
• At the age of 7 – went to
England and live there for 14
years
• Latin, Greek, French, German,
Italian and Spanish
• Brilliant and Passed I.C.S.
 Aurobindo Ghosh
 Aurobindo Ghosh , the great educationist of India , is
known by the name Aurobindo . He was born on 15th
August , 1872 in Calcutta .
 In Sanskirt , the word ‘Aurobindo’ means ‘Lotus’ . But in
the language of occultism , the lotus is the symbol of the
Divine Consciousness.
 Sri Aurobindo began writing poetry at a very early age .
His father wanted him to be an I. C.S officer but
Aurobindo had no interest in administrative service.
 His ever lasting love was for poetry , literature and
patriotic action . He joined as a professor of English and
French in Maharaja’s college at Baroda.
 During this time , he also learnt Bengali , Sanskirt ,
Gujarati, and Marathi.
 PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
He believed that the best things in man is his Spirituality .
He recommended that system of education which aimed at ;
1. Giving knowledge to the learner
2. Making the learner active
3. Making him a creative person
He was in favour of national system of education. He greatly
emphasised that education must be concern with
(a) the man
(b) the nation
(c) the universal humanity . All these result in spiritual
development.
 AIMS OF EDUCATION
It helped the individual to grow and develop fully and
helped him to become an asset to the social group for his
own upliftment and also for the society and the nation.
The different aims of education are;
1. Acquiring new knowledge
2. Physical Development
3. Training of senses
4. Spiritualization of society
5. Development of morality
6. Realization of the self
1. Acquiring new knowledge

It is based on the needs and

requirement of the individual and
the society.
The knowledge should be latest.
 It should be of different field such as
literature , culture , science , politics
etc.
 2. Physical development
 Physical development makes
the individual mentally strong
.
 Without physical
development of the individual
, no other development is
possible.
 3 . Training of senses
 Senses are very important for
receiving education.
 Right knowledge can be acquired
through the different sense that is ,
sight , smell , touch , hear , taste ,and
mind .
 Education should be given in such a
way that there is proper training
given to all the sense organs.
 4. Spiritualization of society
• Education should be help the
individual solve the problem of life in
the light of true spirit of an Indian .
• It should spiritualize the individuals
and the society .
• Old spiritual knowledge should be
received by education .
 5 . Development of morality
• Education must develop the moral
sense of the learner. Both moral and
intellectual development are needed
for proper living on this earth .
• Education is good which helps the
learner to develop his moral senses to
the maximum .
• Education should help the children
have love and sympathy.
 6 . Realisation of the self
• Sri Aurobindo believed that self
realization is the best aim of
education .
• Education should enable an
individual to realize his real begin .
• That is the ultimate meaning of life
on this earth . True education surely
makes one conscious of his supreme
being .
 CURRICULUM
• Education is life long process.
• It should not be limited.
• The curriculum should not be organized subject wise ,
rather it should be according to the development aspect
of personality.
 Physical education : games, athletics , yoga
,exercise
 Mental education: language , maths , social
science etc.
Moral education
 General education 5. Recreational activities,
activities concerning aesthetic sense
 Spiritual education
 METHOD OF TEACHING
• Self learning experience should be the basis
behind education.
• Learning by doing should be followed for the
learner.
• Past , present , future should go hand in hand in
the individual.
• Past - Heredity of the individual
• Present – Material of the individual
• Future – Aim with which we working
• We should be optimistic in the system of
education.
 Role of teacher
• The teacher is not the instructor. He is a
helper and guide only.
• In teaching learning programme, the
principle of going from known to
unknown , or near to far should be
followed.