AIMS OF EDUCATION

Need of Aims of Education

Education is a determined activity. Through education we intend to bring certain desirable changes in the students. The education is a conscious effort, and as such, it has specific goals and objectives. In the light of these objectives, the program is determined and the educational outcomes of students are measured. Education without aims is like as a boat without its rudder because aims give us a direction to activity. With the absence of an aim in education makes it a blind alleyway. Every stage of human progress had some aim of life. The aims of the life determine aims of the education. The aims of the education have changed from age to age and therefore it is dynamic because the aims of the life are dynamic.

Nature of the Aims of the Education

With the aim to know the aims of the education, we must know the nature of the aims. The aims of the education are not fixed, eternal and the universal. These are changeable and relative. The nature of the aims of education can properly be understood in the light of two distinct philosophies of life-idealism and pragmatism. Idealism stands for ultimate, absolute, eternal and the universal values. It promotes high standards of life, which are mostly spiritual in nature. Idealism implores “knowledge for knowledge’s sake.”In idealist society, the education is for the general and for the moral development of a person. According to the idealism, the aims of the education are spiritual and idealistic in nature and they are absolute, predetermined, unchangeable and the universal. The aim of idealist education is to realize these pre-existing, absolute and the universal values. It is “The Education for complete living.”

Pragmatic deals with life as it is and not as it should be. It is also known as the realistic approach to the life. Realism in the social, the political and the economic circumstances or force of life is considered. The current conditions of the life establish the objectives of the pragmatic education. Pragmatism does not believe in absolute and eternal values: philosophy of life is always reflected in the goals of education.

Plato measured that the guardians of the state should have high theoretical ideals.

Locke emphasized that “the disciplined and well-ordered mind.”

Hegel stress on idealistic the aim of the education, that is glorification of the state and the fulfilment of the will of the absolute.

Marx was a materialist. Therefore he emphasized material the aim of the education, that is, the practical economic needs of a man. In a materialist society, the educational aims are based on the materialistic outlook of the people. In such a society moral or the spiritual values have nothing to do with the education. The idealist society tries to glorify those values and emphasize moral upliftment of personality.

The socio-political ideology also determines the aims of the education. A fascist government, A democratic government, A communist government each one formulates its own split ends and means of the education. The democratic ideals of the life are flexible and change with the changing conditions of the life. Thus, in a democracy, the goal at the highest development of innate potentialities of the individual. In fascism the personality exists for the state and the education aims at glorification and the welfare of the state. Man is seen as the creature of the State Social and economic issues are also critical of the goals and objectives of education. Education must prepare to the future generation for the economic and the social system of the country. To determine its educational goals, each country must consider its economic conditions. Therefore we find variability is the nature of the educational aims. The Secondary Education Commission (1952) place it: “As the political , social and economic conditions change and new problems arise , it becomes necessary to thoroughly review and re- articulate the goals of education for the final stage should keep in view.”