National Education by M K Gandhi
(Published in Young India, 01/09/1921)
So many strange things have been said about my views on national education, that it would perhaps not be out of place to formulate them before the public. In my opinion the existing system of education is defective, apart from its association with an utterly unjust Government, in three most important matters:
(2) It ignores the
culture of the heart and the hand, and confines itself simply to the head.
(3) Real education
is impossible through a foreign medium.
Let us examine the three defects. Almost from the commencement, the text-books deal, not with things the boys and the girls have always to deal with in their homes, but things to which they are perfect strangers. It is not through the text-books, that a lad learns what is right and what is wrong in the home life. He is never taught to have any pride in his surroundings. The higher he goes, the farther he is removed from his home, so that at the end of his education he becomes estranged from his surroundings. He feels no poetry about the home life. The village scenes are all a sealed book to him. His own civilization is presented to him as imbecile, barbarous, superstitious and useless for all practical purposes. His education is calculated to wean him from his traditional culture. And if the mass of educated youths are not entirely denationalized, it is because the ancient culture is too deeply embedded in them to be altogether uprooted even by an education adverse to its growth. If I had my way, I would certainly destroy the majority of the present text-books and cause to be written text-books which have a bearing on and correspondence with the home life, so that a boy as he learns may react upon his immediate surroundings.
Secondly, whatever may be true of other countries, in India at any rate where more than eighty percent of the population is agricultural and another ten percent industrial, it is a crime to make education merely literary and to unfit boys and girls for manual work in after-life. Indeed I hold that, as the larger part of our time is devoted to labour for earning our bread, our children must from their infancy be taught the dignity of such labour. Our children should not be so taught as to despise labour. There is no reason, why a peasant’s son after having gone to a school, should become useless, as he does become, as agricultural labourer. It is a sad thing that our school boys look upon manual labour with disfavor, if not contempt. Moreover, in India, if we expect, as we must every boy and girl of school-going age to attend public schools, we have not the means to finance education in accordance with the existing style, nor are millions of parents able to pay the fees that are at present imposed.
Education to be universal must, therefore, be free. I fancy that even under an ideal system of government, we shall not be able to devote two thousand million rupees which we should require for finding education for all the children of school-going age. It follows, therefore, that our children must be made to pay in labour partly or wholly for all the education they receive. Such universal labour to be profitable can only be (to my thinking) hand-spinning and hand-weaving. But for the purposes of my proposition, it is immaterial whether we have spinning or any other form of labour so long as it can be turned to account. Only, it will be found upon examination, that on a practical, profitable and extensive scale, there is no occupation other than the processes connected with cloth-production which can be introduced in our schools throughout India. The introduction of manual training will serve a double purpose in a poor country like ours. It will pay for the education of our children and teach them an occupation on which they can fall back in after-life, if they choose, for earning a living. Such a system must make our children self-reliant. Nothing will demoralise the nation so much as that we should learn to despise labour.
One word only as to the education of the heart. I do not believe, that this can be imparted through books. It can only be done through the living touch of the teacher. And, who are the teachers in the primary and even secondary schools? Are they men and women of faith and character? Have they themselves received the training of the heart? Are they ever expected to take care of the permanent element in the boys and girls placed under their charge? Is not the method of engaging teachers for lower schools an effective bar against character? Do the teachers get even a living wage? And we know that the teachers of primary schools are not selected for their patriotism. They only come who cannot find any other employment.
Finally, the medium of instruction. My views on this point are too well known to need restating. The foreign medium has caused brain-fag, put an undue strain upon the nerves of our children, made them crammers and imitators, unfitted them for original work and thought, and disabled them for filtrating their learning to the family or the masses. The foreign medium has made our children practically foreigners in their own land. It is the greatest tragedy of the existing system. The foreign medium has prevented the growth of our vernaculars. If I had the powers of a despot, I would to-day stop the tuition of our boys and girls through a foreign medium, and require all the teachers and professors on pain of dismissal to introduce the change forthwith. I would not wait for the preparation of text-books. They will follow the change. It is an evil that needs a summary remedy.
My uncompromising opposition to the foreign medium has resulted in an unwarranted charge being levelled against me of being hostile to foreign culture or the learning of the English language. No reader of Young India could have missed the statement often made by me in these pages, that I regard English as the language of international commerce and diplomacy, and therefore consider its knowledge on the part of some of us as essential. As it contains some of the richest treasures of thought and literature, I would certainly encourage its careful study among those who have linguistic talents and expect them to translate those treasures for the nation in its vernaculars. Nothing can be farther from my thought than that we should become exclusive or erect barriers. But I do respectfully contend that an appreciation of other cultures can fitly follow, never precede, an appreciation and assimilation of our own. It is my firm opinion that no culture has treasures so rich as ours has. We have not known it, we have been made even to deprecate its study and depreciate its value. We have almost ceased to live it. An academic grasp without practice behind it is like an embalmed corpse, perhaps lovely to look at but nothing to inspire or ennoble. My religion forbids me to belittle or disregard other cultures, as it insists under pain of civil suicide upon imbibing and living my own.
(From An Anthology
of English Literature by Madhya Pradesh Hindi Granth Academy )
Objective Type Questions:
1. Gandhiji is popularly known as............
(a) the Guru.
(b) Netaji
(c) the Iron Man
(d) the Mahatma
Ans: (d) the Mahatma
2. It was ............who called Gandhi, the Mahatma?
(a) Nehru
(b) Patel
(c) Subhash
(d) Tagore
Ans: (d) Tagore
3. Gandhi wanted that all schools of India should teach the of cloth production as…..
(a) It will pay for the education of our student
(b) It will teach them an occupation on which back they can fall back in after-life
(c) It will make them self-reliant
(d) All the above
Answer: (d) All the above
4. Gandhi ji condemns the textbooks for ………….
(a) Text books do not teach the students what is wrong in the home life.
(b) Text books do not teach them to have any pride in their surroundings. And he feels no poetry about the home life.
(c) At the end of his education he becomes estranged his surroundings.
(d) All the above.
Answer: (d) All the above
5. Gandhi was born on ............,,
(a) 2 Oct, 1866
(b) 2 Oct, 1867
(c) 2 Oct, 1868
(d) 2 Oct, 1869
Ans: (d) 2 Oct, 1869
6. Gandhi ji was born at...........
(a) Porbandar
(b) Champaran
(c) Vardha
(d) Rajgir
Ans: (a) Porbandar
7. Our children should be taught to
(a) despise labour
(b) rever the dignity of labour
(c) look upon manual labour with disfavour
(d) look with contempt to manual labour
Answer:(b) rever the dignity of labour
8. Which Universal labour Gandhi wanted to promote?
(a) Agriculture
(b) Hand spinning
(c) Hand weaving
(d) All the above
Answer: (d) All the above
9. Education should be given in ..........
(a) International Language
(b) foreign Language
(c) Hindi
(d) Vernacular
Answer: (d) Vernacular
10. Education of the heart can be imparted by….
(b) books
(b) living touch of the teacher
(c) cloth production
(d) agriculture
Answer: (b) living touch of the teacher
11. The spiritual guru of M.K. Gandhi was................
(a) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
(b) Tilak
(c) Leo Tolstoy
(d) Gorky
Ans: (c) Leo Tolstoy
12. The name of Gandhi's wife is.............
(a) Kasturba
(b) Ramkumari
(c) Lilavati
(d) Padmini
Ans: (a) Kasturba
13. Gandhi was assassinated on..........
(a) 30 Jan,1946
(b) 30 Jan,1947
(c) 30 Jan,1948
(d) 30 Jan,1949
Ans: (c) 1948
14. The medium of teaching in a foreign language can cause…
(a) Brain fag
(6) Undue strain upon the nerves of the students
(C) students to become crammers and imitators
(d) All the above
Answer: (d) All the above
15. The greatest tragedy of the existing system is
(a) Foreign medium
(b) Teaching in vernaculars
(c) Foreign culture
(d) International diplomacy
Answer: (a) Foreign medium
16. The author of National Education is ...............
(a) Nehru
(b) Indira
(c) Gandhi
(d) Subhash
Ans: (c) Gandhi
17. National Education was published in............
(a) Keshri
(b) Young India
(c). Aryavarta
(d) Harijan
Ans: (b) Young India
18. National Education was published on..........
(a)1 September, 1919
(b) 1 September, 1920
(c) 1 September, 1921
(d) 1 September, 1922
Answer: (c) 1 September, 1921
According to the context of the essay say whether the statements given below are TRUE or FALSE.
According to Gandhi the education system is based upon foreign culture to the almost entire exclusion of indigenous culture.
Education ignores the culture of the heart and the hand, and confines itself simply to the head.
Real education is possible through English medium only.
The village scenes are all a sealed book to him.
In the schools, the civilization of students is presented as imbecile, barbarous, superstitious and useless for all practical purposes.
Education is calculated to wean the student from traditional culture.
British education system creates the men and women of faith and character.
Students themselves receive the training of the heart.
The foreign medium has made our children practically foreigners in their own land.
The foreign medium has prevented the growth of our vernaculars.
We should appreciate other cultures but never assimilate our own culture in it.
Our children should be taught to despise labour.
Education to be universal must therefore be free.
English should not be taught in the schools.
Answers:
According to Gandhi the education system is based upon foreign culture to the almost entire exclusion of indigenous culture. True
Education ignores the culture of the heart and the hand, and confines itself simply to the head. True
Real education is possible through English medium only. False
The village scenes are all a sealed book to him. True
In the schools, the civilization of students is presented as imbecile, barbarous, superstitious and useless for all practical purposes. True
Education is calculated to wean the student from traditional culture. True
British education system creates the men and women of faith and character. False
Students themselves receive the training of the heart. False
The foreign medium has made our children practically foreigners in their own land. True
The foreign medium has prevented the growth of our vernaculars. True
We should appreciate other cultures but never assimilate our own culture in it. True
Our children should be taught to despise labour. False
Education to be universal must therefore be free. True
English should not be taught in the schools. False
III. Short Type Question-Answer:
Q1. What is the opinion of Gandhiji about the existing system of education?
Ans: According to Gandhi'ji , the existing education system is defective.
Q 3.What does Gandhi ji say about foreign medium?
Ans: About foreign medium Gandhi says that real education is impossible through a foreign medium.
Q. 1. How, according to Gandhi, education of the heart can be imparted?
Answer: Education of the heart can be imparted by the living touch of the teacher.
Q. 2. What does Gandhi mean by the statement village scenes are all a sealed book to him"?
Answer: It means that he is secluded from his surroundings.
Q. 3. Through which language is real education possible?
Answer: The real education is possible through vernaculars.
Q 4. What is crime according to Gandhi?
Ans: According to Gandhi ji, it is crime to make education merely literary.
.Q 5. How does our education make our boys and girls unfit for manual work?
Ans: According to Gandhi ji, our education makes our boys and girls unfit for manual work by making education merely literary.
Q 6. What is the place of labour in education according to Gandhi ji?
Ans: According to Gandhiji, the dignity of labour should be taught to our children.
Q. 7. In order to give universal Education what steps should be taken?
Answer: In order to give universal education, it must be free.
Q. 8. How does Gandhi propose to fund the school education of the poor?
Answer: Gandhi ji proposed cloth production by the students to fund the education.
Q. 9. How can the Education of the heart be imparted?
Answer: The education of the heart can be imparted by the living touch of the teacher.
Q 10. What according to Gandhi is the chief barrier in the way of the growth of our vernaculars?
Ans: According to Gandhi the foreign medium is the chief barrier in the way of the growth of our vernaculars.
Q 11. What is firm opinion of Gandhi about our own culture?
Ans: The firm opinion of Gandhi about our own culture is that no culture has treasure so rich as ours has.
Q. 12. What is the greatest tragedy of the existing education system?
Answer: The greatest tragedy of the existing education system is the foreign medium of instruction.
Q. 13. Which Universal labour did Gandhi ji want to promote?
Answer: Gandhi ji wanted to promote cloth production and agriculture.
Q. 14. Why did Gandhi condemn the textbooks?
Answer: Gandhi ji condemned the text books because they estranged the students from their surroundings
Q. 15. What is brain fag according to Gandhi ji?
Ans: According to Gandhi, foreign medium has caused brain fag. It means that foreign medium has put unnecessary burden of understanding the subjects in a foreign language.
Q. 18. How would the students pay for their education according to Gandhi ji?
Ans: According to Gandhi, the students would pay for their education by spinning or cloth production or any such manual work.
Q. 17. Why does Gandhi ji say that it is crime to make education merely literary?
Ans: Gandhi ji says so because all our boys and girls become unfit for manual labour after taking education..
Q. 18. What unwarranted charge has been leveled against Gandhi ji?
Ans: The unwarranted charge that has been leveled against Gandhi ji, is that he is hostile to foreign culture..
Q. 19. Why should education be free according to Gandhi ji?
Ans: According to Gandhi ji, education should be free to make it universal.
Q. 20. What according to Gandhiji is the evil that needs summary change?
Ans: According to Gandhi ji, education through foreign medium is an evil that needs summary change.
IV. Long Answer Questions
Q. 1. What defects in the education system does Gandhi ji mention in this essay?
Ans: Gandhi ji mentions three defects of existing education system. They are :-
1. It is based on foreign culture.
2.. It ignores culture of heart
3..It is given in a foreign medium that is English.
Q. 2. What are the shortcomings that Gandhi points out in the textbooks with reference to Indian culture and civilization.
Answer:The shortcomings that Gandhi ji points out in the text bokks are as follows:
The books are in foreign medium. A student starts hating his own mother tongue.
They do not talk of his surroundings so he does not feel pride in his own culture and is completely uprooted from his culture..
They do not contain practical education that he needs for survival.
Q. 3. Why does Gandhi ji say, “No culture has treasure so rich as ours.?
Answer: Gandhi ji says so because India's past is very with culture religion and literature. Gandhi ji does not compare Indian culture with anu other culture bout there is no doubt that our cultural heritage is unparalleled. It is rich with the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Shashtras, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Ayurveda.
Q. 4. What should be the qualities of teachers teaching in the primary schools?
Answer: The teachers teaching in the primary schools should be men of characters and knowledge, They should be the men and women having strong faith in Indian culture to render the education of the heart. Besides above qualities, they should teach the student with love and care.
Q. 5. Why does Gandhi ji say that medium od instruction should be vernaculars?
Answer: Gandhi ji says so because real education is possible in vernaculars only. English as a medium of instruction will produce crammers only. It will produce haters of mother tongue and Indian culture.
Summary of the lesson National Education
This lesson is a part of Gandhji's views on National Education which were published in the Young India .Ganndhi ji points out three defects in our national education. They are
1. It is based on foreign culture.
2. It ignores the culture of heart and encourages the culture of mind.
3.The medium of instruction is English not mother tongue.
The education is not about the things and people of the surrounding but about the foreign things and people which make him alien to his surroundings. Books are not teaching the things and people that are local but the foreign ones. Gandhi ji says that he would like to destroy all such books and got them rewritten. Another problem that Gandhi talks about is that the whole education that is given to the students is literary and fails to teach them dignity of labour and thus making them unfit for manual labour. Gandhi ji wants education to be free otherwise only well to do families would be able to afford it. But since our country is poor, those who can't pay for their education partly or wholly by labour. Similarly, Gandhi ji points out that our education does not teach students. the dignity of indigenous literature but it praises foreign culture. The result is that the student does not learn to be proud of his own culture. Finally Gandhi ji says that foreign medium is an unnecessary burden upon students. Many are not able to complete their education due to foreign medium. Those who are successful become foreigner in their own country. Gandhi ji says that if he were a despot, he would stop the teaching of students in English medium. He further says that though English is the language of international importance and it has the richest literature therefore its study is desirable but it must not replace our vernaculars.
About M.K. Gandhi
Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi popularly known as the Mahatma or Bapu is termed as the father of the nation because he brought us our freedom by nonviolent means. He was born on 2 October 1869 at Porbandar Kathiawad Gujrat. His father was deevan of Rajkot estate. He went to England for a barrister's degree but back in India, he was not successful as a lawyer, In the mean time, Seth Abdulla from South Africa called him to South Africa to plead his case. He found Indians there in a miserable state and denied of even basic rights. He fought for their rights and the British had to acknowledge defeat. When he returned to India, he was greatly welcomed and Gandhi ji joined Indian national Movement. Finally, the British left India in 1947.
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