Vandana
The
present work is designed to bring to fore the essence of wisdom of the great
educational thinker/ philosopher i.e. Swami Dayanand. He puts emphasis on the view that Education
(Shiksha) is that which helps one to acquire knowledge, culture,
righteousness, self-control and the like virtues; and eradicates ignorance and
evil habits. He suggested the multisided curriculum, perfection and importance
of humanism and rationalism.
Among the contemporary Indian philosophers Swami
Dayananda may be called to be the greatest rationalist. While on the one hand
he was a great supporter of Vedas and other holy texts, his approach everywhere
was that of a rationalist. He never accepted anything without meditating upon
its advantages and disadvantages. His magnum opus Satyartha Prakash is an
eloquent testimony to his rationalism. Pointing out the object of this great
work Dayananda wrote, “...there is not the remotest idea to hurt
the feelings of any person either directly or indirectly, but on the contrary,
the book proposes that men should distinguish truth from falsehood. Thus since
none but the practicing of truth is the cause of the improvement of the human
family.” These
words express both his rationalism and humanism. As is clear by the above
object of the chief work of Dayananda, like a true humanist, he aimed at the
progress of humanity on the path of happiness. Thus it was in keeping with this
aim that Dayananda presented his philosophy.
Meaning of Education- According to Swami Dayananda education
imparts true and real knowledge about master, self-development and welfare of
all living beings. In other words, it should inculcate a spirit of service and
help to others. In this way, according to Swami Ji, education is a supreme and
most important moral process for the development of mankind. Swami Dayananda
says, “A man without education is only a man in name. It is
bound in duty of a man to get education, become virtuous, be free from malice
and preach for all well-being of people advancing the cause of righteousness.”
Reward and Punishment - Reward and
punishment occupy a very high important place in the child’s education.
Admitting the psychological importance of reward and punishment Dayananda
considered them to be an important part of every education. Punishment,
according to him should be oral as far as possible and not corporal. The child
learns through the system of rewards and punishments. He repeats those acts
which lead to rewards and does not commit those acts again which result in
punishment.
Moral Education- Thus, Dayananda
clearly laid down the means for the moral education of the children. Moral
education involves the encouragement of virtues on the one hand and the
discouragement of vices on the other. The parents and the teachers should
themselves present high ideals. Thus, in brief the child “should
try to acquire virtues and shun vices; associated with the good and avoid the
wicked.”
Role of the Parents- According to Swami
Dayanand, a man becomes learned only when he has three proper instructors, the
mother, the father and the teacher. Blessed is that family and most fortunate
is that child whose mother and father are equipped with righteousness and
learning.
Women’s Education- Swami Ji advocates strongly that all women
should get education. Equal opportunities to go to school should be given to
the daughters as to the sons, by parents. He was not in favour of co-education,
and advocated separate schools for girls and boys. The curriculum of studies
was also a little different for boys and girls.
The Teacher’s Role- Great importance is
given to the role of the teacher by Swami Dayanand. The teachers are to be
learned, of good character, and devoted to their task. There is no room for
arrogant teachers who are not dedicated to their task. There has to be a close
relationship, like that of a father and son, between the teacher and his pupil.
Discipline- Dayanand was a strict
disciplinarian and believes in taking strong action against teachers and pupils
who broke the rules of the school.
Curriculum- In his scheme of education
Dayananda prescribed almost similar types of education for males and females.
Besides a general curriculum for educand from the four Varnas, Dayananda also
prescribed some special studies for each Varna. He pointed out that only those
books should be recommended for deep study which passes all scrutiny.
Medium of Education- In the ancient
Indian tradition Dayananda favoured mother-tongue and the Sanskrit
language. He strongly pleaded the cause
of Sanskrit as medium of all higher education. He wrote in details about the
curriculum and teaching methods for learning and mastering Sanskrit.
Qualification of the Teacher- Elaborating
the qualification of teachers, whether male or female, He supported the idea
that, “He alone is a wise man who is never idle nor lazy,
nor effected by pleasure or pain, profit or loss, honour of dishonour, public
applause or censure, has always a firm faith in Dharma, and cannot be tempted
by sensual objects.”
Teacher-Taught Interaction- These high qualities can be developed
through mutual inspiration. The teachers inculcate truthfulness, self-control,
gentleness and physical and mental development on the educands. They should
also try to eradicate evil habits of the students. The students, on the other
hand, themselves try to develop self-control, mental tranquility,
thoughtfulness, diligence and love for their teachers.
Contribution
of Dayananda
Education for perfection: The discussion of the philosophy of
education presented by Dayananda leads one to the conclusion that his aim was
education for perfection. He sought this aim most vigorously even sometimes
presenting schemes which were far from practicable and demanding standards and
virtues which could not be attained even by the selected person. He demanded
very high standard of character and conduct. He wanted to realize all-round
perfection.
Multisided Curriculum: A perusal of the curriculum given in Satyartha
Prakash amply clarifies the fact that Dayananda aimed at perfection of man
through education.It is due to his anxiety about achieving an all-round and
most comprehensive perfection of man that he prescribed such a detailed
curriculum which may appear too wide in the modern age of specialization and
yet if one remembers the fact that specialized knowledge always creates a
one-sided personality and never a total perfection, one may be able to
appreciate Dayananda’s standpoint.. It is undeniable that the scheme of
education presented by Dayananda is too rigorous and beyond the capacity of
most of the males and females in the present time.
Humanism and Rationalism: Besides the ideal of perfection as a
humanist ideal, Dayananda showed his humanistic tendency in his strong
condemnation of all superstitions, unscientific beliefs, immortalities and
deceptions. In his support of science and the scientific outlook, he was more
positive than many contemporary positivists. He was among the foremost
rationalists to emphasis upon the use of reason in every field of human life.
While on the one hand, he had absolute respect for the Vedas whom he considered
to be divine, on the other hand he advised everyone to distinguish truth and
untruth use rational criteria and accept only that which is supported by sound
logic. Thus, if something appears to be out of date in his scheme of education
that hardly detracts its value, since what is important is not the detailed
scheme but the insight behind it.
Dayanand’s
educational philosophy is as kin to Vedic philosophy, although his
interpretation of Vedic philosophy is unique. When he first preached his
lesson, there was the greatest need to protect Hindu religion and philosophy
from the onslaughts of Muslims and Christian religions. He saved Hindu society.
He protected the ancient Hindu values from the influence of Muslim and
Christian cultures and tried to maintain the traditional modes of thinking. His
ideas on education have great significance for contemporary educational philosophy. The contribution of Swami Dayanand towards the
philosophy and practice of education is noteworthy. There is no gainsaying the
fact that the History of Education of modern India cannot be complete without
mention of his glorious contribution.
References:
-
Aurobindo
Ghosh, in Bankim Tilak Dayanand (Calcutta 1947 p 1, 39)
-
Bhan
Suraj Swami Dayanand-His life and work,
Delhi 1978
-
Buch
M.B. Fourth Survey of Research in Education Baroda, NCERT 1988
-
Carlgle,
Thomas Education in Commemoration
Volume, dited by Harbilas Sarde.1933
-
Cochran,
V.G.(Sampling, Bomboy: Asia Publishers House.
-
Satyarth
Prakash (English Translation Durga Prasad). New Delhi: Jan Gyan Prakashen 1970
-
Dharmmitra
Dayanand Digliez, Jallandhar: Dhanpat
Rai Publication 1966
-
Garg,
B.R.Bankim Tilak and Dayanand, Calcutta.1973
-
Goldman,
Leo. Research Methods for Counselors, New Yourk: Jhon Willy and Sons1970.
-
Hoermle
Rudopy, Christi, Banaras City 1870
Vandana
M.A (Hindi) (English)&(Education)
Pursuing Ph.D (Education)
