Gandhi's educational philosophy emphasized developing students' character and vocational skills through practical, hands-on learning centered around basic crafts. He advocated for an education system that promoted self-reliance, national integration, and social reform through mother-tongue instruction, vocational training, and linking academic subjects to students' lives and environments. His "Basic Education" or Nai Talim model aimed to provide a free, universal 7-14 year education that cultivated students' physical, intellectual and spiritual growth through craft-based learning experiences.

1. ASSIGNMENT
INDIAN THINKERS - MAHATMA GANDHI
Submitted by,
Divya S S
Ist B.Ed Mathematics
Roll No : 18

2. INDEX
MAHATMA GANDHI (1869-1948) 2
GANDHIJI’S EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY 3
GANDHIJI’S SYSTEM OF BASIC EDUCATION 10
GANDHIJI’S CONTRIBUTION TO EDUCATION 12
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3. MAHATMA GANDHI (1869-1948)
● Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, honored by people of India as the Father of
nation.
● A great leader, a practical philosopher and an educational thinker.
● Born on 2nd October,1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat.
● In 1893, he went to South Africa as a legal advisor.
● In 1914, Gandhi returned to India and continued his educational experiments
for a short time at the Shantiniketan and then at Sabarmati. It was at this
time that Gandhiji conceived the idea of his new system of education.
● He wanted to establish a free and casteless society with no exploitation and
racial discrimination. For this purpose, he used education as an instrument.
His philosophy of education was the outcome of his long experience in the
political, social and economic life of the country.
● Some of his struggles which Gandhiji led include the Non-cooperation
movement, Jallianwala massacre, Quit India Movement etc.
● Important works: My Experiments with Truth, Satyagraha in South Africa,
Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule.
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4. GANDHIJI'S EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
Gandhiji evolved a philosophy of education as the dynamic side of his
philosophy of life. He viewed education as a potent instrument of social
reconstruction. On account of his new scheme of education known as 'Basic
education’, Gandhiji is considered as the starting point of modern educational
theory.
1. Meaning of Education
According to Gandhiji “Literacy is neither the beginning nor the end of
education. This is only a means through which man or women can be educated”.
Gandhiji observes “By education I mean an all round drawing out of the best in
child and man body, mind and spirit”. This is how Gandhiji summed up his idea of
true education.
● Education is development: “All round’’ implies harmonious
development. Drawing out of the best recognises a great potentiality coiled
up in the child which can be realized and developed to its perfection through
education. It is the development of human personality in terms of physical,
intellectual and spiritual aspects. Education should take care of the whole
child, the human personality. It should be the function of education to bring
about a harmonious development of all the aspects of human personality so
that it can grow to its highest stature and serve the society at its best.
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5. ● Education is not literacy: Gandhiji did not favor teaching and learning of
3 R's reading, writing and arithmetic as literacy itself is no education.
Literacy is just a means of education. He emphasized the development of
head, heart and hand(3H). According to Gandhiji “True education is that
which drags out and stimulates the spiritual, intellectual and physical
facilities of the children”.
2. Aims of Education
Gandhiji divided educational aims into two categories such as:
(i) Immediate aims of education and
(ii) Ultimate aims of education
> Immediate Aim
● Vocational Aim: It is also known as a self-supporting aim of
education. Gandhiji wished that each child should be able to learn a
productive craft to meet his future needs of life and become
self-supporting. He advocated education for self - reliance and the
capacity to earn one’s livelihood. In his own words, “Education ought
to be for them(children) a kind of insurance against employment”.
● Cultural Aim: He advocated that vocational education and cultural
advancement should go side by side. He considered the cultural aspect
of education as more essential than its academic aspect. Culture is the
main foundation and an essential part of education. Culture is the
primary and basic thing which the girls should receive from school.
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6. ● Character building Aim: According to Gandhiji, the end of all
knowledge should be the building up of character. Character building
implies cultivation of moral values such as courage, strength of mind,
righteousness, self-restraint and service of humanity. He believed that
education will automatically develop an ability in the child to
distinguish between good and bad.
● Perfect Development Aim: Gandhiji once wrote, “The real education
is that which fully develops the body, mind and soul of children.” He
further observed, “Man is neither mere intellect, nor the gross animal
body, nor heart or soul alone. A proper and harmonious contribution
of all the three is required for the making of the whole man and
constitutes the true economics of education”.
● Dignity of Labour: Gandhiji wanted that education should develop
students in such a manner that they become self-dependent. Gandhiji
says that after seven years of education from the seven years of age to
fourteen years, the child should be able to earn and should not hesitate
to do manual works. The students must learn the dignity of labor.
They should not feel shy while doing some work with their own
hands.
● Training for Leadership: Gandhiji believed that for successful
democracy, good leaders are needed. Education should develop
leadership qualities in students. That way only the students will be
able to shoulder the responsibilities in a satisfactory manner.
● Individual and Social Aims: Gandhiji stressed that education should
equip the learner for individual and social aims. Both these aims
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7. should be synthesized. Only through this way, the individual becomes
better and the society is enriched. Only good individuals form a better
society.
> Ultimate Aim of Education
According to Gandhiji, the ultimate aim of education is to realize god. All
other aims are subservient to this supreme aim. It is the same aim of
self-realization which has been coming down since the very early times of Indian
wisdom and which constitutes the essence of Indian philosophy. According to
Gandhiji, “Development of the moral character, development of the whole-all
where directed towards the realization of the ultimate reality-the merger of the
finite being into the infinite.” It is realizing godliness in himself.
3. Curriculum
Gandhiji advocated life-centered and activity-centered curriculum. He
suggested domestic science for girls Knowledge and skill is imparted through
manual work and productive crafts having utility value. Gandhiji included mother
tongue, craft, arithmetic, social studies, general science, art, music etc. as subjects
of study. It is based on the concept of learning by doing and learning while
earning. The curriculum should contain a basic craft in accordance with local
conditions.
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8. 4. Methods of Teaching
Gandhiji advocated the following methods of teaching:
● Education through craft: Children should be educated through a basic craft
such as spinning, weaving, carpentry, agriculture, village and cottage
industries etc.
● Mother tongue: Mother tongue should be the medium of Instruction.
According to Gandhiji, “All education should take place through the
medium of mother tongue. It makes the process of education natural and
meaningful”.
● Emphasis on activity method: Gandhian education is not bookish in nature.
Education is imparted through creative and productive activities. Learning
by doing:
● Learning by doing is the watch world of the Gandhian system of education.
Thus, the child participates in some activity and learns through experiences.
● Correlation should be established among different academic subjects in
teaching methods and learning experiences. Thus, in the Gandhian scheme
of teaching, academic contents are correlated with actual life experiences,
environments and craft.
● Lecture method, questioning and discussions are some other techniques
which are employed in the Gandhian scheme of education.
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9. In addition to the above, Gandhiji emphasized the need of co-curricular activities,
planning, realistic experiences, initiative and sense of individual responsibility to
be associated with the craft centered teaching method.
5. Concept of Discipline
Gandhiji’s approach to discipline is based on the discipline of mind, thought
and action. It is inner discipline or self-control. Like naturalists, Gandhi also
advocated freedom of the child. At the same time, he wants children to be prepared
to accept the appropriate discipline and training.
His concept of discipline is in tune with social discipline. Education was
recognized as a means of generating ‘feeling’ among the individuals so as to make
them useful and responsible citizens of the country.
6. Views about Teacher
● Gandhiji wanted the right type of teachers, who were dedicated to their
profession and ready to serve the masses.
● Teachers must be well-trained, proficient, faithful, and enthusiasm, men of
knowledge, men of action and devotion, character and nationalistic feeling.
● Teachers are responsible for shaping the personalities of their students.
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10. ● A teacher who teaches from textbooks does not impart originality to his
pupils. So, he should teach from life.
● The teacher must learn the craft and correlate his knowledge to the craft, so
that he will impart all that knowledge to his pupils through the medium of
particular craft that he chooses.
● At primary classes the teacher must really be a mother to the children she
teaches.
7. View about Women Education
Gandhiji was strongly in favor of women education. Women education can
help in uplifting the society and the nation. Women can play a great role in
educating their children. He said, “My greatest hope is in women, they want a
helping hand to lift them out of the hell in which they have been kept”.
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11. GANDHIJI’S SYSTEM OF BASIC EDUCATION
To materialize the vision of society Gandhiji evolved a scheme of education
after many trials and experiments over a period of 40 years. His ideas
revolutionized the current thinking about education. This scheme of education is
known as Basic education or Wardha scheme of education or Nai Talim in 1937 as
a revolt against the sterile, book centered, examination-oriented system of
education propagated by the British. This system is called by the name ‘wardha
scheme’ because the salient features of this education was first presented by
Gandhiji in the All India National Education Conference held at Wardha (near
Nagpur) on 22 nd and 23rd of October,1937. Gandhiji uses the term basic to
describe his scheme of education because it is intimately related with the basic
needs and interest of Indian children. Moreover, it is closely related to the people
living in the villages. It is an educational scheme for the common man who
constitutes the base or backbone of our country.
Features of basic education
The basic scheme of education has the following features:
● The core aim of basic education is to help students to develop
self-sufficiency.
● Basic education laid a strong emphasis on manual work.
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12. ● There should be free, compulsory and universal education within the age
group 7 to 14.
● It envisages providing education through the medium of craft or productive
work so that the child gains economic self-reliance for his life.
● The medium of education should be mother tongue.
● It is aimed to achieve the harmonious development of the child’s body, mind,
heart and soul.
● It is geared to create useful, responsible and dynamic citizens.
● Play is an essential part of basic education.
● Subjects are taught in correlation with craft, with environment and with
other subjects.
● It is geared to create useful, responsible and dynamic citizens.
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13. GANDHIJI’S CONTRIBUTION TO EDUCATION
Gandhiji’s contribution to education is unique. He was the first Indian who
advocated a scheme of education based upon the essential values of Indian culture
and civilization. His contribution to education are the following:
1. A new concept of education: Gandhiji interpreted education as the
development of human personality. This can be matched with any modern
concept of education. His scheme of education is life centered. It is
education of life, through life and for life. It really provides opportunity for
character building, development of all-round personality and prepares for
effective and successful living through life problems and real-life situations.
2. It is education for citizenship: In the words of Dr. Zakir Hussain, “The new
scheme which we are advocating will aim at giving the citizens of the future
a keen sense of personal worth, dignity and efficiency and will strengthen in
them the desire for self-improvement and social services in a co-operative
community”.
3. Education for a new social order: Gandhiji wanted to make education an
instrument of social change and social reconstruction. By educating the
masses, he wanted to establish a new society known as” Sarvodaya Samaj”-
a new class-less, casteless society. This society will be based on the
principles of truth and non-violence in individual and collective life.
4. Practical nature of education: Gandhiji introduced craft centered or work
oriented education which is the under current of any modern system of
education. Though he had a desire to teach all the subjects through hand
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14. work, he was nevertheless aware that everything of these subjects could not
be taught.
5. Psychologically sound: His scheme of education is psychologically sound.
It is based upon the fact the whole educational structure is planned with the
child as the center. It implies different theories and laws of learning.
6. Sociologically sound: Gandhian scheme of education inculcates we- feeling
working cooperatively and fosters group of life and building social qualities
it instills essential social virtues, builds character and provides better
understanding of social life and it’s provides.
7. Sound teaching techniques: The method of teaching, especially the
techniques of correlation, are very sound. The methods and techniques of
teaching advocated by him revolutionized Indian thinking.
Gandhian educational philosophy still holds true. It is relevant even today. A few
changes cannot be ruled out. Gandhian scheme and his educational philosophy is
‘new’, ‘epoch making’, ‘original’ and ‘revolutionary’.
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15. REFERENCE
● Educational Thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi - Dr.C.Thanavathi
https://www.slideshare.net/thna1581981/educational-thoughts-of-mahat
ma-gandhi-drcthanavathi
● Gandhi's Educational Thoughts - MKGandhi.Org
https://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/Gandhis-educational-thoughts.html
● Educational philosophy of mahatma gandhi introduction
http://lnmuacin.in/studentnotice/ddelnmu/2020/C%208%20EDUCATI
ONAL%20PHILOSOPHY%20OF%20MAHATMA%20GANDHI-A%
20K%20Milan.pdf
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