CONCEPT OF EDUCATION

 CONCEPT OF EDUCATION : Education is the process of facilitating learning or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and habits. Educational method includes storytelling, discussion, teaching, training and directed research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educator, but learners may also educate themselves. Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels or acts may be considered educational. The methodology of teaching is called pedagogy. Education commonly is divided formally into such stages as preschool or kindergarten, primary school, secondary school and then college, University or apprenticeship.

Indian Concept of Education : 

   ● According to Rit-Veda, "Education is that which makes a man self-reliant and selfless." 

   ● The Rit-Veda regarded creating confidance in the person as the only function of education whereas the function of education is unlimited.

   ● The Upanishad explains, "Education is that whose end product is salvation." The Upanishad regards attaining salvation as the function of education wheres education develops a person physically, intellectually, socially, economically and culturally.

   ● According to Vivekananda, "Education is the manifestation of Divine Perfection ready existing in man."

   ● According to Tagore, "Education makes man's life in harmony with all existence."

   ● According to Kautilya, "Education means training for the country and love for the nation."

   ● According to Gandhiji, "By education, I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man, body, mind and spirit. 

Western Concept of Education :

   ● By definition, education is a transfer of knowledge from one generation to another; it is a system or practice of teaching and learning. In broad context, "education is any process by which an individual gain knowledge or insight or develop attitudes or skill."

   ● According to Socrates, “Education means the bringing out of the ideas of universal  validity which are latent in the mind of every man.”

   ● According to Aristotle, “Education is the art of acquiring happiness and not the pursuit of pleasure.”

   ● According to Rousseau, He suggested 3 different sources of education.

(a)    Education by Nature : “The constitutional exertion of our organ and faculties is the education of Nature.”  It restores the unsophisticated man whose sole function is to be a man. In the natural order of things, all man being equal, their common vocation is manhood.

(b)   Education given by men : “The uses we are taught to make of the exertion constitution the education given by men.”

(c)    Education from circumstance : The acquisition made by our own experiences.

   ● According to Plato, “ Education of giving to the body and soul all the perfection of which they are susceptible.”

 

         Education, being an important social activity, its meaning has been changing through the ages due to change in social and physical condition. Different educationists have interpreted it differently. According to the view of famous educationists, we can classify the meaning of education into two categories  -  Narrower and  Broader.

          In the narrow sense, education is regarded as equivalent to instruction, imparted in school or college. Education is believed to begin with the entrance of a child to the school and end with his departure from the university. Education include those specific influences which are brought to bear upon the child with a definite purpose in a pre-planned, suitable and methodical manner, by parents, teacher and other member of community, for the preservation of the cultural heritage.  According to this view, education is limited to classroom teaching and ready-made materials. Education is given in a formal way, under set and controlled conditions and environment. It is pre-planned and is  given by teacher in classroom.

          According to J.S. Mill, Education in its narrower sense means, “The culture which each generation purposely gives to its successor in order to qualify, to keep up and to improve the level attained.”

          Thus, education become a purposeful activity which is planned deliberately for the purpose of the child's individual and social development. This activity is organized through the school as the chief agency of education.

          According to Dumvile, "Education include all the influences which act upon an individual during his passage from the cradle to the grave."

          According to Lodge, "In the wider sense, all experience are said to be educative even the bite of mosquito and the teste of water melon experiences have a directly educative effect on us the child educates his parents, the pupils educate their teacher. Everything that we say, think or do educates us."

          In this wider sense, life is education band education is life. Whatever broadens our horizon, deepens our insight, refines our reaction and stimulates our thoughts and feelings educates us. Life is a long process of education and education is synonymous with the act of living.

          The above remarks of different educators highlight the following special features of education :

 ● Education is both, unilateral, as well as bi-polar in nature.

 ● It is a continuous process.

 ● It is knowledge or experience.

 ● It is development of particular aspects of human personality or a harmonious growth.

 ● It is conducive for the good of the individual or the welfare of the society.

 ● It is a liberal discipline or a vocational course.

 ● It is stabilizer of social order, conservation of culture and instrument of social reconstruction.