Indian Education is on the Crossroads: The role of Teacher-Education
Indian Education is on the Crossroads: The role of Teacher-Education
Chaman Lal Banga, Assistant Professor (Education), Department of Education, ICDEOL, Himachal Pradesh University Shimla, Email: Chamanbanga80@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
There is a view that the present system of education is, after all, quite reasonable and what we need is to make it a little more sophisticated, much more polished, with some modifications here and there like vocationalisation and job-orientation, and what we further need is to ensure accountability of teachers and educational institutions. It has even been prominently asked, in defence of the present system, if we ourselves are not the products of that astern and whether we are not, more or less, quite well-equipped deal with our responsibilities. t is noteworthy that the greatest representatives of the Indian renaissance, from Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati to Sri Aurobindo had perceived in the ancient Indian system of education such an uplifting and inspiring model that they had all advocated for free India a national system of education, rooted in the ancient Indian conception of education, which would, at the same time, cater to the ideals of internationalism and universality. They had all dreamt of a free India where students would relive the presence and guidance of the wise and benign and courageous Rishis who had sown in the soil of India the seeds of perennial inspiration. They wanted to recreate sanctuaries of living souls who could be fostered by teachers who would, like Vashistha and Vishwamitra, Vamadeva and Bharadwaja, remain unfettered by dogma or any restraining force of limitation or obscurantism. The home of the teacher, which came to be called the ashrarma or gurukula, was centred on students, and each student received individual attention. The teacher looked upon his task as that of an observer, as a helper, as a guide, — not as that of a taskmaster. He taught best, not so much through instruction, as through the
Chaman Lal Banga, Assistant Professor (Education), Department of Education, ICDEOL, Himachal Pradesh University Shimla, Email: Chamanbanga80@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
There is a view that the present system of education is, after all, quite reasonable and what we need is to make it a little more sophisticated, much more polished, with some modifications here and there like vocationalisation and job-orientation, and what we further need is to ensure accountability of teachers and educational institutions. It has even been prominently asked, in defence of the present system, if we ourselves are not the products of that astern and whether we are not, more or less, quite well-equipped deal with our responsibilities. t is noteworthy that the greatest representatives of the Indian renaissance, from Maharshi Dayananda Saraswati to Sri Aurobindo had perceived in the ancient Indian system of education such an uplifting and inspiring model that they had all advocated for free India a national system of education, rooted in the ancient Indian conception of education, which would, at the same time, cater to the ideals of internationalism and universality. They had all dreamt of a free India where students would relive the presence and guidance of the wise and benign and courageous Rishis who had sown in the soil of India the seeds of perennial inspiration. They wanted to recreate sanctuaries of living souls who could be fostered by teachers who would, like Vashistha and Vishwamitra, Vamadeva and Bharadwaja, remain unfettered by dogma or any restraining force of limitation or obscurantism. The home of the teacher, which came to be called the ashrarma or gurukula, was centred on students, and each student received individual attention. The teacher looked upon his task as that of an observer, as a helper, as a guide, — not as that of a taskmaster. He taught best, not so much through instruction, as through the
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