Chapter 6.8 - Conclusion (Swami Vivekananda’s concept of Education)

From the above discussion of Vivekananda’s concept of education it has been seen that according to Vivekananda education is the discovery of the inner self. Education is not information giving in an artificial manner. It is a development from within. Education is spontaneous and positive. For Vivekananda, education is not the amount of information put into one’s brain which may be there undigested all one’s life. It is rather a life building assimilation of ideas. So he says that if a student has assimilated five ideas and made them as his character, then he has more education than any man who has got by heart the whole library. Education is not identical with information. Vivekananda was very pragmatic in his idea of education. For him real education is that which enables one to stand on one’s one legs. Not only this, it should also help us building a good moral character.

Vivekananda emphatically advocated the spread of universal mass education. It is because he knew that real India lives in her cottages and without mass education, desirable socio-economic changes in our country are not possible. The root cause of all our evils is the poverty of the people and Education is the sole remedy for improving the condition of the poor in the country. Education must reach every home. Vivekananda is an ardent lover of the masses and he desired sincerely to improve their wretched condition through education. He was thus a true nationalist and a great practical saint. He favored a casteless society through casteless education.

Vivekananda championed the cause of women’s education and their emancipation. He was greatly impressed to see the women of the progressive countries like America, England and Japan working with men and, thereby, immensely contributing to national advancement. He was at the same time greatly pained at the miserable condition of women in India. Vivekananda sincerely believed that a nation could rise only by paying proper respect to women and raising their status.

Vivekananda was in favor of the ideal of chastity for women. To him, Sita is a symbol of purity. Indian women, therefore, must be taught to follow the ideal of Sita. He had full faith in the Indian culture and virtues of our domestic living. He favoured women’s education on Indian lines and not on western lines. His idea of women’s education included ideal of lives of great Indian women, such as Sita, Sabitri, Ahalya Bai and Mira Bai. He also wanted to make Indian women fearless and brave to face successfully the realities of life. He recommends the valor and heroism of queen of Jhansi for Indian women he also recommends a modest curriculum for them which includes history, puranas, house-keeping, sewing and other domestic arts. Ideal women must learn the duties of home life. He also favoured science education and training in ethical and spiritual life. He, of course, discarded blind imitation of the west. India is unique-its education must be unique too. Here a synthesis of past and present, East and West is needed.

A teacher is to suggest and not teach. Vivekanada laid emphasis on selfteaching or self-learning. The living fire is already in the mind of the student. Knowledge is within. It is inherent in the mind of the individual. Sir Isaac Newton discovered the Law of Gravitition. The law was already in nature. The falling of the apple only suggested and the light already in the mind of Newton began to work. Vivekananda was a staunch supporter of freedom in education because he believes it is the first requisite of development. Hence no teacher should exert any kind of pressure of his pupils. Education must be based on the needs of the child.

He regards the child as the pivotal point of education. He is the store house of knowledge. Knowledge resides within him. Vivekananda lays emphasis on the discovery of inner knowledge. Until the inner teacher opens, all outside teaching is vain. He attaches great importance to the personal life and character of the teacher. A teacher must be dedicated to his profession and teach with devotion, with purity of mind and heart. The teacher must have love and sympathy for his students. A teacher can never teach sympathy. Without real sympathy we can never teach well.

So far as the method of learning is concerned he laid emphasis on concentration as the only method of attaining knowledge. Through the practice of Raj-yoga the mental urges may be controlled. Vivekananda considers concentration the key to the treasure-house of knowledge. Vivekananda believes that Brahmacharya is necessary for developing the power of mind and helps power of retention. It gives higher mental power. Vivekananda also lays emphasis on the importance of discussion and contemplation as methods of education.

As regards medium of education, Vivekananda strongly advocated the mothertongue. He was out and out a nationalist and, naturally, he championed the cause of national education through mother-tongue. He wanted to Indianise Indian education. He was a revivalist of Indian cultural traditions and values. Vivekananda pleaded that education must develop a strong sense of patriotism and nationalism in the minds of the students.

His great contribution in the field of education include self-knowledge, selfreliance, concentration, universal mass education, physical education, man-making education, character building education, education through the medium of mother tongue, religious and moral education, value education, selfless dedicated teachers etc. Vivekananda gave to the world a dynamic educational vision and an intensely efficacious educational philosophy of life values. He was a philosopher who felt, valued and experienced life in every detail. His teachings are linked up with their stress on cultivation of purity and strength. He spoke of natural and harmonious development of the latent powers in man. His clarion call to the world was unmistakable and unambiguous. A nation may conquer nature, control the elements, and develop the utilitarian aspects of life, yet the highest type of civilization is found in those individuals who have learned to conquer the self.

The following points can be mentioned as important in his concept of education-

1. Vivekananda’s Philosophy of education ultimately aims at the cultivation of the soul.

2. Vivekananda’s Philosophy of education aims at the education of the ‘whole man’. His education starts with a proper study of the physical and psychical parts which are ultimately grounded in the soul or in the real. His education aims at the integrated development of all the aspects of the individual’s life beginning from his birth to end. So, it is coextensive with life

3. The Vedantic concept of unity in diversity gives out the idea of a society consisting of different groups and subgroups of people who must work together with a spirit of cooperation with a view to make the society a better and happier place in which there is ample scope for self-realization. To strengthen this unity of life in a society, every section or group of a community must be aware of this unity. To achieve this as one of its aims, education wants to enlighten the women and the general masses, which form the major section of society, through proper training in culture, tradition and science. Thus the women’s education and mass education occupy an important place in Vivekananda’s Philosophy of education.

4. According to Vedanta, Reality is one. This oneness of Reality brings out, as its correlate, the idea of unity of all men living throughout the world. It is one of the functions of education to interpret man’s social nature, and his social relationship and thereby to promote unity of mankind at large. To achieve this end in actual fact, Swami Vivekananda gave emphasis, simultaneously, both on national and international education.

5. Swami Vivekananda’s Philosophy of education is replete with national feelings and sentiments, with the improvement of character and moral consciousness, with the cultivation of strength and energy, with the culture of brain and intellect and finally with the feelings of kindness and sympathy. He wanted his all-round education.

Thus we may conclude that Vivekananda’s concept of education is comprehensive. There is not even one point which has been escaped from Vivekananda’s notice so far as his concept of education is concerned. We in India need such a type of education through which one can stand on one’s own legs; one becomes physically, mentally and spiritually strong. Such a citizen is really very beneficial for any society.