Education is the reflection of a society’s fundamental about the individuals that comprise that society. Mahatma Gandhi on education is that he viewed it as a way of liberating people and it constitutes a civilized nation. He encouraged Indians to take up education as it had many advantages. But Mahatma Gandhi on education view changed, he suddenly became opposed to the western education, which he had been a beneficiary of, viewing it as an enslaver to the people.
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Mahatma Gandhi on education had made him develop an attitude towards industrialization viewing all types of modern machinery as a way of impoverishing the people of state. Most machinery like cloth making machines made work easier and this he saw as something that lead to the decline of hand woven goods. Mahatma Gandhi not for this primarily because of the slavery and working conditions subjected to women. Mahatma Gandhi on education was that he was completely opposed to a machine less society.
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Mahatma Gandhi on education idea centered around the introduction of productive handicrafts in the school system. This in his view was to ensure that schools are self supporting as possible, that they remain self sufficient and semi autonomous. Handicrafts were introduced so that they can make craft the center piece of the teaching programs. This handcraft system in schools would ensure an independent nation and survival of village communities.
Mahatma Gandhi on education vision was to be able to provide education for all children, from poor societies, by generating resources from within. He also saw that politically independent schools were as a result of financial independence. It is for this reason that Gandhi advocated for introduction of handicrafts so as to ensure that there is self sufficiency. Mahatma Gandhi on education was so as to reduce the dependence on states resources. Mahatma Gandhi on education was of the idea that manual work should not be seen as inferior to mental work. The work that a crafts man does should be the ideal model that portrays the good life. This idea if instilled in peoples mind, they would stop seeing manual work as less inferior to mental work. In his opinion schools that focused on productive work which was for the benefit of all were providing education for the whole person.
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Mahatma Gandhi on educations plan was to reduce the enslaving of the teacher. The teacher is supposed to impart knowledge to the students as it is in the text books, with little concern whether it was original or not. Gandhi wanted to bring an end to this reliance on text books by teachers to impart knowledge. This idea of teaching from text books made sure that students learnt what the state wanted them to learn. This would bring an end to the state deciding what the teacher would teach and what the students were supposed to learn. This brought about a liberated approach to the school systems. Mahatma Gandhi on education idea was to have an ideal society that was comprised of small communities that were self reliant.
