FOUNDATION OF EDUCATION :: INDIAN THINKERS ON EDUCATION - PART III

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA:

SwamiVivekananda's original name had been Narendranath. He was born on 12 January, 1863 in a kshatriya family of Calcutta. Later on he became SwamiVivekananda one of the chief disciples of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

 He was a great thinker, philosopher and reformer of India. He made the Indian religion popular all over the world. His philosophy has contributed much to the development of education philosophy in India. He wanted to make India and its country men, self-dependent, powerful and cultured. He wanted to wipe of any inferiority complex from the mind of the Indian people. Swami Vivekananda considered his Vedanta philosophy as very comprehensive and he wanted to share it with all irrespective of caste, colour, creed, sex etc.

PHILOSOPHY:

1. He believes in God as one reality. He requested the countryman to leave negativity and ego and move on reaching God-consciousness.
2. He trusts that all religions finally lead to a common destination.
3. He considers that the highest goal of any religion in the service of mankind.
4. Morality and purity are the strength.
5. He saw God in three forms: Being (sat), Awareness (chit) and Bliss (ananda).
6. He assumes in the fact that perfection is not attained from outside. In fact, it is inherent within the individual himself. He had great faith in man and he considered man as an incarnation of God.
7. He was against bookish knowledge.
8. He also said all knowledge that is infinite is in the mind, everything, that is outside is only a suggestion which uncovers the knowledge hidden in our mind. Education helps in self- development ; the science of yoga makes a personality.
9. For character formation: It is essential to get purity which should be through- Thirst for knowledge, faith, humility, perseverance, submission.
10. He insisted on teaching through Mother tongue.
11. He reiterated that religion is the inner care of knowledge and education remains incomplete without the teaching of aesthetics and fine arts.
12. He insists that the only method of education is through concentration.
13. He stresses upon women education.
14. He emphasize on mass education.
15. He presumes negative for corporal punishment.
16. He believes that the task of the teacher is only to help the child to manifest his/her knowledge by removing the obstacles in its way. The teacher should facilitate this  process of self-discovery.