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.”

LOGICAL MEANING OF EDUCATION

In the following lines, we are annoying to create the meaning of education more clearly by explaining its constituent issues in better details:

• Not restricted to knowledge imparted in Schools:

Education cannot be limited to the processes of giving knowledge to children in the schools only. Its program goes on from birth to till death. In other words, every one learns something or the other throughout life by different experiences and activities. All of these counted in Education.

• Education as the Development of Child’s Innate Power:

Education is developing the native endowments of a child rather than something forced into the mind from outside of the children.

• Education as a Dynamic Process:

 Education is not static but a self-motivated process, which develops the child’s activity and mind according to changing situation and times.

• Education as a Tri-polar Process:

1). John Dewey regards:

                                     Education is a process of development.

According to John Dewey education has two features:

1)    Psychological and (2) Sociological.

He declares that the development of a child does not take place just in vacuum. It takes place through the society in which the teacher and the child both live together in school life. Thus, it depends more on society, which will determine the aims, contents and methods of teaching. Thus, the process of education contains three poles, namely, (1) The teacher, (2) The child, (3) The society. These three features actively cooperate in the efficient and successful working of the educational process.

A Little Accurate Definition of Education

There are several different definitions and meanings of education as in MEANING, AIMS AND PROCESS OF EDUCATION, guide us to the conclusion that education should have a complete definition. therefore, education may be defined as a psychological, conscious or unconscious, purposive, sociological, scientific and philosophical process, which brings about the development of the individual to the fullest extent and as well the maximum development of society in such a way that both enjoy maximum happiness and prosperity.

To cut a long story short,

Education is the development of individuality according to his needs and demands of society, of which he is an essential part.

In the First article MEANING, AIMS AND PROCESS OF EDUCATION, observations of different educators highlight the following special features of education:

• Education is both, independent as well as bi-polar in nature.

• It is a unbroken process.

• It is knowledge with experience.

• It is progress of particular aspects of human personality or a harmonious integrated growth.

• It is conducive for the good of the human being or the welfare of the society.

• It is a broad-minded discipline or a vocational course.

• It is stabilizer of social order, an instrument of change, conservator of culture and social reconstruction.

MEANING, AIMS AND PROCESS OF EDUCATION

In general speaking, ‘Education’ is utilized in three senses: Knowledge, Process and Subject.When a person achieves degree up to certain level we do not call it education. As example as if a person has obtained Master’s degree then use education as a very narrow sense and call the person has attained education up to Master level. In the second sense, education is utilized in a sense of discipline. As for example if a person had taken education as a paper or as a discipline during his study in any institution then we utilize education as a subject. In the third sense, education is used as a process. In actual fact when we talk of education, we talk in the third sense that is education as a process.

By going through the text you will be able

• To make out the meaning and concept of education

• To classify the narrower and wider meaning of education

• To describe the analytical meaning of education

• To know the aims and scope of education

Etymological Meaning of Education

In English the term “Education” has been derived from two Latin word Educare (Educere) and Educatum. “Educare” means to train. It again means to bring up or to lead out or to draw out, propulsion from inward to outward. The term “Educatum” denotes the act of teaching. It throws light on the principles and practice of teaching. The term Educare or Educere mainly indicates development of the latent faculties of the child. But child does not know these possibilities. It is the teacher or the educator who can know these and take appropriate methods to develop those powers.

If we mention certain definitions of education of great educators of the East and the West, we may have a clear picture of the nature and meaning of the term education.

According to Swami Vivekananda:

Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man. Like fire in a piece of flint, knowledge Exists in the mind. Suggestion is the friction; that brings out.

Mahatma Gandhi said:
By education, I mean an all-round drawing on the best in children and the body, the human mind and spirit

Rabindranath Tagore opinion about Education:

The highest education is that which does not only give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.

Rigveda opinion about Education:

Education is something, which makes it an autonomous man and self- less.

Upanishada opinion about Education:

Education is one whose end product is salvation.

Plato’s point of view:

Education develops in the body and soul of the student all the beauty and all the perfection of which he is capable.

Aristotle defines Education as:

Education is the creation of healthy mind in a healthy body. He develops the faculty of man especially his mind so that he can be able to enjoy the contemplation of the supreme truth, goodness and beauty.

Rousseau’s point:

Education is the development of the interior of the child.

Froebel shares his idea about Education as:

Education is enfoldment what is already wrapped in the germ. It is the process by which the child is the internal-external.

Pestalozzi’s thought about Education:

Education is the harmonious and progressive development of all the powers and faculties of physical mandate, intellectual and innate morality.

J.F.Herbert shares his thinking about Education:

Education is the development of good character.

John Dewey writes in his book to clarify the Education as:

Education is not a preparation for life, but rather life. Education is the process of life through continuous reconstitution experiments. It is the development of all the capabilities of the individual who will allow him to control his environment and fulfill its possibilities.

T.P.Nunn thought about Education:

Education is the complete development of the child's individuality so that it can make an original contribution to human life to the best of its ability.

From all above discussion it is now clear that since the times of Plato to the modern times of John Dewey and Gandhi, various educationists have cleared education in different ways. Speaking frankly, the field of education is so vast and varied that to give an exact definition of education about which all educationists agree is very difficult. We sew that some educationists have defined only one feature of education whereas the others emphasize its other phases. The reason of this difference of opinions is that different educationists, most of whom are philosophers, have different outlooks about the aim of life. According to Idealists, the aim of life is spiritual development. As such, they regard education as a spiritual process, which aims at bringing together the soul and the creator leading to self-realization. Pragmatists think about education as a process of social progress. Because of this difference in the philosophy of life, different educationists define education differently. The fact is that the real concept of education is not related solely to any of the above mentioned views. It is more than either of them. In a real logic, education is a kind of synthesis of all the above viewpoints. In this sense, education includes the individuals, the environment,  the society, the social fabric and the prevailing customs. Hence, the definition of education ought to be a very comprehensive and all-inclusive one.